A federal jury has convicted Steven Valder, 34, of Syracuse, of all counts of an indictment charging him with sexual exploitation and child pornography offenses. The conviction follows a four-day jury trial in federal court.
Valder was found guilty of two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child for producing sexually explicit images of a 13-year-old boy in 2023, one count of Committing a Felony Offense Against a Minor as a Registered Sex Offender, and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography.
The evidence presented at trial showed that Valder committed these heinous crimes approximately one year after being released from prison for 2010 convictions in Cayuga County Court for Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree (forcible anal sexual conduct with a 14-year-old child), and in Federal Court for transportation and possession of child pornography.
According to the trial testimony, Valder sexually abused a 13-year-old boy multiple times in multiple locations around the City of Syracuse and photographed the abuse. He also received child pornography over the Internet through Russian applications he had downloaded to his phone.
Valder’s crimes were discovered after his United States Probation Officer found him in possession of an unauthorized smartphone, which contained images of the child victim and internet child pornography. The jury also found that Valder committed the Sexual Exploitation offenses after a prior conviction for a sex offense against a minor.
At sentencing, scheduled for October 25, 2023, Valder faces a mandatory life sentence. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced the conviction.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York, prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative that marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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