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November 4, 2016Syracuse, NY, United StatesChild Exploitation

Central New York man pleads guilty to distribution of child pornography

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A Central New York man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to three counts of distribution of child pornography. The guilty plea follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

 Richard S. Buffham, 49, of Oswego, New York, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue. Buffham, who was ordered detained pending sentencing, faces a minimum sentence at least five years and up to 20 years imprisonment on each of the distribution counts.  Sentences of imprisonment may be concurrent or consecutive at the discretion of the court. The court will also impose a term of supervised release of between five years and life, and Buffham will be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2017, in Syracuse, New York.

As part of his guilty plea, Buffham admitted that he distributed images of child pornography to an online chat group on September 23, 2015, September 24, 2015, and September 27, 2015.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

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