Rochester Man Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison On Child Pornography Charges

CONTACT:  Barbara Burns
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Brendon Allan Young, 35, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of production, distribution and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and 20 years supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who handled the case, stated that between 2012 and 2017, Young sexually abused a minor female, beginning when the child was only four or five years old. By the time the victim turned nine years old, the defendant produced child pornography depicting the victim, which he uploaded and traded via the internet. The victim’s images were ultimately found in the United Kingdom when British authorities arrested a perpetrator in that country during a child pornography sting. Using information found on the British suspect’s computer, British authorities contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C., which was relayed the information to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Buffalo, NY. Within days, using metadata associated with the images, HSI Agents located the victim in Rochester, NY.

At the same time, the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County Child Protective Services had begun an investigation after the victim made a disclosure of sexual abuse to a friend’s mother. HSI Agents, the Rochester Police Department, and Child Protectives engaged in a joint investigation that led to Young’s arrest by both state and federal authorities. On November 1, 2017, the defendant was sentenced to 30 years in State Court.

“This sort of depravity deserves extended captivity,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy.  “While a long sentence such as this cannot undo the harm suffered by the victims of the defendant’s brutal conduct, it can protect other children by ensuring that the defendant cannot have future access to them.”

“This investigation is a perfect example of the international law enforcement community’s cooperation in cases involving child exploitation and victim identification, said HSI Buffalo Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. “In addition, we coordinated with our partners at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify and bring this subject to justice and remove him as a threat to our community.”

Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons; Monroe County Child Protective Services, the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Sandra Doorley.