ALBANY, NEW YORK – Aaron Griesche, age 39, of Niskayuna, New York, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with receiving child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The complaint alleges that Griesche used his laptop to download child pornography, which he later transferred to a USB storage device. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge against Griesche carries a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Griesche would also have to register as a sex offender if convicted.
Griesche appeared today for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart and was ordered detained pending further proceedings.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.