SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Marc L. Leonardis, age 49, of Skaneateles, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment filed by a federal grand jury charging him with Receipt of Child Pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
An indictment unsealed in federal court charges that from April through June of 2021 Leonardis used an instant messaging application to knowingly receive image and video files of child pornography.
If convicted, Leonardis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, and a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and will have 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.
Leonardis is detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled before United States Magistrate Miroslav Lovric on Thursday, October 7, 2021.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Capital Area and Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Forces, in cooperation with the New York State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York.
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