An Ontario County man, Eric Passalacqua, 37, of Phelps, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday by the U.S. District Court in Rochester following his conviction for receiving and distributing child pornography.
In addition to his prison term, Passalacqua will undergo 15 years of supervised release and is ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution.
Earlier this year, on January 20th, the FBI’s Anchorage, Alaska office relayed information to their Rochester counterparts about a Phelps individual believed to be involved in a child pornography exchange with someone in Alaska. Investigations quickly identified Passalacqua as the suspect. Upon executing a search warrant at his home, over 600 child pornographic images were discovered on his phone, some of which were self-produced, involving a minor.
This case’s successful prosecution resulted from collaborative efforts between the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Anchorage office of the FBI, directed by Special Agent-in-Charge Antony A. Jung.
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