Rochester Man Charged With Possession 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 Matthew Cruz, 22, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum of 20 and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany H. Lee and Melissa M. Marangola, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on March 4, 2014, law enforcement officers went to the Mount Read Boulevard residence of the defendant. Officers seized Cruz’s computer which contained 179 videos and 186 images according to a subsequent forensic analysis. Some of the images depicted prepubescent children. 

Cruz made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson. He is being held pending an appearance on April 14, 2015. 

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael 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.