Federal Grand Jury Indicts West Seneca Man On Child Pornography And Obstruction Of Justice Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a five-count indictment charging Shawn Johnson, 33, of West Seneca, NY, with three counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of obstruction of justice. Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in September 2019, investigators discovered an IP address, traced to the defendant, attempting to download suspected child pornography using the internet. On December 2, 2019, the FBI obtained a search warrant for Johnson’s Angle Road residence. As investigators executed the search, they encountered the defendant standing in his bedroom smashing a laptop computer against the wall and trying to damage it. The laptop, which sustained serious damage, was sent to the FBI’s Digital Forensics Analysis Unit Laboratory where much of the data was recovered. The hard drive was found to contain numerous images and videos of child pornography.

The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and released on conditions.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.