Repeat Johnstown Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Charles Guyer, age 60, of Johnstown, New York, pled guilty today to distributing and receiving child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office; and Acting New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett.

As part of his guilty plea, Guyer admitted to using two laptop computers equipped with peer-to-peer file-sharing software to download and distribute child pornography.  Guyer, who has a prior New York State felony conviction for sexual abuse in the first degree (sexual contact with an individual less than 11 years old), has been in custody since his arrest on April 24, 2018.  

Sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2019 before Senior United States Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.  Guyer faces at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, 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. Guyer will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. 

This case was investigated by HSI and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet J. O’Hanlon.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.