Oswego Man Charged with Distributing Child Pornography

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard Alvarado, age 26, of Oswego, New York, appeared yesterday in federal court on charges that he distributed and possessed child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to a criminal complaint, on February 29, 2020, Alvarado distributed videos of child pornography through a group messaging application on his cellular phone, including video files depicting sexual conduct with children between 5 and 9 years old. An examination of his cellular telephone revealed that it contained numerous image and video files depicting child pornography. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted, Alvarado faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000.  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.

Alvarado appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter, and was detained pending further proceedings.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Brown.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.