Gary Zeitvogel, Child Pornography, New York 2019

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - In a shocking turn of events, Gary Zeitvogel, a 45-year-old resident of Gates, New York, pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography, a charge that carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.

According to the investigation, in June 2019, Facebook alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that the defendant appeared to be engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a 15-year-old female.

Utilizing information provided by Facebook, NCMEC determined that Zeitvogel and the minor victim were both located in Rochester.

NCMEC forwarded the tip to the New York State Police, who located the victim and discovered that the defendant was serving a term of probation with the Monroe County Probation Department.

Zeitvogel had been convicted of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. On July 1, 2019, State Police investigators and Monroe County Probation Officers searched the defendant's residence in Gates and recovered a cell phone which contained the Facebook application, in violation of his probation conditions.

A search warrant was executed on both the phone and Facebook account. Investigators observed over 1,500 images of child pornography on the phone, some of which depicted prepubescent minors, including the minor victim.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 17, 2020, before Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/gates-man-pleads-guilty-child-pornography-charge-0