Utica Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Aaron Bohannon, age 52, of Utica, New York, was charged today with distributing and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office.

Bohannon made his initial appearance in federal court today before United States Magistrate Thérèse Wiley Dancks, who ordered that he be detained pending resolution of the charges. 

The criminal complaint filed against Bohannon alleges that in January 2019, he distributed child pornography by uploading images and videos to a social media platform.  Further, the complaint alleges that Bohannon had material depicting child pornography on one his mobile devices at the time of his arrest. 

The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

If convicted, Bohannon faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration 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 is being investigated by the New York State Police, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Utica Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ 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/.