Fredonia Man Charged With Producing Child Pornography

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Dustin Post, 24, of Fredonia, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Dagonese, who is handling the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, the New York State Police in Fredonia, in August 2019, received a parental complaint involving the commission of a possible sex offense upon a minor. According to the parent, the parent’s eight-year old child (Minor Victim 1) told the parent that the child had been sexually abused by the defendant, a family friend, sometime in the summer of 2018. When interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center, Minor Victim 1 stated that Post took the minor victim to a house, blindfolded her, and sexually abused her. Minor Victim 1 believes that the defendant likely video-recorded the abuse, adding that defendant showed her pictures of other children and explained that he had videos of other children engaging in similar conduct.

The complaint further alleges that defendant, also in the summer of 2019, video-recorded his abuse of a 12 year-old girl (Minor Victim 2) and, in 2018, received images of an 11 year-old girl (Minor Victim 3), via Snapchat.

On November 15, 2019, investigators removed a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, and four flash drives from defendant’s residence. An initial review of the electronic devices recovered multiple images and videos of suspected child pornography.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was being held pending a November 26, 2019, detention hearing.

Members of the public who have specific information related to this case are urged to contact HSI at 716-464-6070 or HSIBuffaloTips@ice.dhs.gov. HSI victim-witness specialists will be available to assist any parent or guardian should they need victim-related resources. The complaint is a result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy.

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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