Randolph Man Charged With Production Of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. announced today that Alexander Carnahan, 27, of Randolph, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Elizabeth R. Moellering, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on June 9th, 2020, the Jamestown Police Department responded to a residence for a report of alleged child sexual abuse involving an 11 year-old (Victim). The Victim’s mother advised officers that another one of her children gave her a cell phone belonging to the defendant, who was staying with the family, and told her that there were nude images of the Victim on the phone. The Victim’s mother searched the phone and found what she believed to be nude images of the Victim. The mother then kicked Carnahan out of the family residence.

On June 16, Jamestown Police Officers executed a state search warrant on the defendant’s phone but did not locate any images or videos depicting child pornography. On June 17, 2020, a federal search warrant was executed on the defendant’s Google account. Investigators recovered several images and videos that appeared to match descriptions provided by the Victim’s mother. The investigation determined that the defendant transferred the images and videos from his phone to his Google account. Investigators also recovered child pornography images that Carnahan did not produce himself.

On August 13, 2020, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s current residence in Randolph. A second warrant authorized photographs of Carnahan’s hands to determine whether his hands matched a hand seen in the images of child pornography recovered by investigators.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Timothy Jackson.

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.