U.S. Attorney’s Office

Central District of California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, July 12, 2021

Whittier Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Child Pornography Case

LOS ANGELES – A federal judge today imposed a prison sentence of nearly 20 years on a Whittier man who admitted exchanging child pornography – some of which involved infants and toddlers – with others on the internet.

Fred Joseph Stecher Jr., 29, was sentenced to serve 235 months in a federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Once he completes his sentence, Stecher will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner also ordered Stecher to pay a total of $55,000 in restitution to 11 victims.

Stecher – who used several online aliases, including “smellyguy1991” and “little_tyke1991” – pleaded guilty in March to one count of distributing child pornography, which followed a prior conviction for possession of child pornography. “Despite multiple search warrants executed at his home, his probationary sentence, jail time, and completion of a sex offender treatment program, [Stecher] still committed the [latest] child exploitation offenses, demonstrating his lack of impulse control and his lack of respect for the law,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.

During the investigation into Stecher, authorities executed a search warrant on his Yahoo! email account and found 1,263 unique images and 65 unique videos containing child pornography.

“Some of the videos and images depicted minor victims under the age of 12 being used for sexual acts, including infants and toddlers,” Stecher admitted in his plea agreement. “Some of the videos and images portrayed sadistic or masochistic sexual conduct, specifically bondage, involving minor children.”

Stecher used his Yahoo! email account to distribute the child pornography he obtained on the internet. The sentencing memo notes how Stecher engaged in online chats with other individuals interested in child pornography, discussing the types of children he liked in lurid detail and at times pretending that the children pictured were his own.

The case against Stecher was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Los Angeles Police Department as part of the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Yu of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/whittier-man-sentenced-nearly-20-years-child-pornography-case

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, July 12, 2021

Jamestown Man Pleads Guilty To Enticement Of Minor

CONTACT: Barbara Burns

PHONE: (716) 843-5817

FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Richard LaFrance, 35, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty, before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., to enticement of a minor, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant, who was 34 years-old at the time, met a 14-year-old minor victim in April of 2019, and began communicating with her via email and text message. The communications between LaFrance and the Minor Victim were sexually explicit and included the defendant requesting that the Minor Victim send him naked pictures. In addition, LaFrance met up with the Minor Victim on at least two occasions and engaged in sexual intercourse.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Chautauqua County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James B. Quattrone.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 9, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/jamestown-man-pleads-guilty-enticement-minor