Schoharie County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing, Receiving and Possessing Thousands of Images and Videos of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Angel Gomez, age 28, of Richmondville, New York, pled guilty today to a nine-count information, admitting that he received, possessed and distributed child pornography.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As part of his guilty plea, Gomez admitted to using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to download image and video files from the internet, which he then saved to electronic devices. In addition, Gomez admitted that he allowed others to download child pornography from him via the peer-to-peer network. The conduct involved over 13,000 still images and over 2,400 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby will sentence Gomez on August 5, 2021. Each of counts one through four, alleging receipt and distribution of child pornography, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000. Each of counts five through nine, alleging possession of child pornography, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000. For all counts, Gomez faces a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of between 5 years and life and a requirement that he register as a sex offender. 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.

This case was investigated by HSI, along with members of the New York State Police, as part of Project Safe Childhood, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C. Powers.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.