Joseph Perez, Possession of Child Pornography, New York 2021

Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

In a disturbing case, Joseph Perez, 23, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation began in November 2020 when Twitter reported that one of its users uploaded four images of child pornography to the Twitter site. Subsequent investigation traced the images to a Twitter account belonging to Perez. On November 5, 2021, investigators seized Perez’s electronic devices, including a cellular phone, which contained approximately 125 videos of child pornography.

Some of the videos included children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. At the time of his federal arrest, there was an active arrest warrant for Perez out of Potter County, Texas.

As part of his federal plea, Perez admits that he sexually abused a minor victim in the State of Texas on more than two occasions. The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski.

Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. Sentencing is scheduled for May 15, 2023, before Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

The defendant, Joseph Perez, is a 23-year-old from Rochester, New York. The exact criminal charge is possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The city and state where the crime occurred are Rochester, New York. The exact date of the crime is November 2020.

The sentence or outcome is currently in the plea agreement phase, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine possible. No dollar amount is mentioned in the source, so this is the only information available.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/rochester-man-pleads-guilty-possession-child-pornography-5