Elmira Man With Prior Child Sex Conviction Arrested On Federal Child Pornography Charge

U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Eugene R. Criss, Jr., 55, of Elmira, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography by an individual with a prior sex offense conviction, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on March 23, 2023, Criss shared suspected child pornography on a peer to peer sharing network with an undercover law enforcement employee. On April 5, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Criss’ residence, during which investigators seized multiple electronic devices to include a cellular telephone, laptop computer, USB thumb drive and a tablet. A review of the thumb drive recovered more than 1,000 files in more than 700 folders of suspected child pornography.

Criss made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pederson and was held pending a detention hearing on April 14, 2023.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.      

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