Greene County Man Charged with Possessing Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Drew Caswell, age 25, of Cairo, New York, appeared in federal court yesterday on a charge that he possessed child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Alfred A. Watson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to the criminal complaint, on August 7, 2022, Caswell possessed a phone that contained numerous electronic files depicting the sexual abuse of children. The charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Caswell is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

As part of yesterday’s initial appearance in which Caswell was detained, United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart scheduled a detention hearing for tomorrow, November 16.

If convicted of the charge in the complaint, Caswell faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.  Caswell would also be required to register as a sex offender.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.