North Tonawanda Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

        BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a three-count indictment charging Thomas A. Sparks, 21, of North Tonawanda, N.Y., with receipt and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, on June 25, 2013, the defendant knowingly received 94 images of child pornography. Sparks also possessed a SanDisk Cruzer Glide 4GB USB Flash Drive which contained images of child pornography. Some of these images depicted a prepubescent minor and a minor under 12 years old.  

The indictment is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Brian P. Boetig, Special Agent in Charge.

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.