Utica Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Distributing Child Pornography

 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Aaron Bohannon, age 53, of Utica, New York was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and a lifetime term of supervised release for his convictions for sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Bohannon admitted that he sexually exploited his victim from at least 2018 through June of 2019, recorded the abuse, and distributed the sexually explicit material to others.  Bohannon also admitted that he distributed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors.  Upon release from prison, Bohannon will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by the New York State Police, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Utica Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.

This case was 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/.