Rochester Man Arrested, Charged With Production Of Child Pornography

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051 
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Thomas Hopkins, 24, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years and a fine of up to $250,000. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, Hopkins surreptitiously recorded a 13 year old child naked while she was in the bathroom on multiple occasions. The defendant used his iPod to video record the child through a hole in the bathroom wall, and then emailed the sexually explicit videos to himself.

Hopkins made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman. The defendant is being held pending a detention hearing on May 18, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation by Officers of the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli; and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Adam S. Cohen. The task force includes the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations.

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.