STAFF REPORTS
ROCHESTER — Amit Pandey, 41, of Rochester, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that Pandey was arrested in February 2017 by deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, after he was discovered having sex in a parked vehicle with a 16-year old minor female. The defendant’s cell phone was seized during the arrest. A forensic analysis uncovered sexually graphic chats and images using the Kik application between Pandey and the minor female. One of the images was that of a person that Pandey knew was a minor.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn and Special Agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20.
