⏱ 2 min read
A 40-year-old prior sex offender from Gowanda, NY, was arrested for receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography. James Mitchell, who has a history of convictions, was taken into custody after law enforcement received information that he possessed child pornography on his cellular phone. The investigation began on July 19, 2026, when the New York State Police responded to Mitchell’s Broadway Road residence. Mitchell allegedly engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old boy over the encrypted communications application Telegram.
During these conversations, Mitchell discussed plans to meet the 13-year-old to engage in sexual acts in Fredonia and Amherst, NY. Law enforcement seized Mitchell’s cellphone and recovered numerous videos containing child pornography. In addition, investigators found a conversation on Telegram where Mitchell stated his preference for children ages 11-17 and that he possessed child pornography depicting children in that age range.
Mitchell exchanged approximately 143 videos and/or images depicting child pornography during the conversation. He also claimed to have over 6,000 videos of child pornography on a flash drive. Mitchell is a Registered Level 1 sex offender in New York and Indiana following a June 25, 2007, conviction in Cattaraugus County Court for Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance.
Mitchell faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with assistance from an online organization that identifies child abusers on the internet.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: New York
- Location: NY
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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