Wayne County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty To 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 Brandon West, 39, of Lyons, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors before U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Wolford. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine or both.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that the investigation began when a child disclosed sexual contact by the defendant. Wayne County Child Protective Services contacted the New York State Police who began a criminal investigation. Upon learning that the defendant had child pornography on a cellphone and an online email account, State Police requested assistance from Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Unit. Federal investigators conducted field interviews and matched a sexually explicit photo recovered from the defendant’s cell phone to a local five year old child known to the defendant. In addition to several sexually explicit images of the five year old child, West also possessed more than 1,500 images of other children, many of whom were under the age of 12, being raped. 

In 2005, West was convicted in Wayne County of Sexual Abuse, First Degree, related to having sexual contact with an eight year old child. West is a Level II Sex Offender.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation by Investigators from the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Craig Hanesworth, and Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.

West is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.