Rochester area teacher arrested on child pornography charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kevin Burns, 45, of Irondequoit, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receipt and possession of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in October 2023, the New York State Police received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual living in Rochester uploaded an image of child pornography from the internet. Subsequent investigation traced the images to Burns, a teacher employed by a school in Monroe County. In November 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Burns’ residence, during which they seized his computer. A forensic review of the device recovered more than 450 images of child pornography, to include children engaged in sexual acts with adults, children that are restrained, blind-folded or masked, and infants and toddler-age children.

Burns made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Colleen D. Holland and was held pending a detention hearing.   

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.

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.   

# # # #