Broome County Man Arrested On Child Exploitation Charges

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Chad Swartwood, age 40, of Castle Creek, New York, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with attempted sexual exploitation of a child, attempted receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and Acting New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.

According to the allegations in the complaint, Swartwood impersonated a teenage female online to try to convince individuals he believed to be teenage boys to send him sexually explicit images of themselves.  He also is alleged to have possessed images of child pornography on his mobile telephone.  The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Swartwood appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge David E. Peebles, who ordered the defendant detained.

If convicted of all counts, Swartwood faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years imprisonment and a maximum term of 110 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release between five years and life, as well as mandatory registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge base on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case is being investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, and Investigators from the Broome County (New York) District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov