STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shawn Lebrecht, 35, of Olean, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who handled the case, stated that in early August 2016, an undercover law enforcement officer began communicating online with the defendant. Lebrecht sent the officer several images of child pornography. On August 25, 2016, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s East Green Street residence. During the search, officers recovered a laptop computer. A forensic analysis determined the laptop contained over 300 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted pre-pubescent children and violence.
“The public needs to understand that even in cases like this—in which there is no evidence of physical contact between the defendant and a child—there is significant harm to children,” said U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Individuals such as Mr. Lebrecht create the demand for child pornography that fuels others to produce images of child rape, child abuse, and child exploitation. Hopefully, the prospects of serving 5 years in federal jail for even looking at this stuff is a strong enough incentive to deter others from doing what Mr. Lebrecht did.”
“As this sentencing clearly demonstrates, child predators will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Kevin Kelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI Buffalo. “These heinous crimes cause irreparable damage to our children and society. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these acts.”
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in- Charge Kevin Kelly.
