U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Tuesday that a Williamson man has been charged with possessing child pornography following a lengthy investigation.
Joseph Hudson, III, 26, of Williamson was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the receipt and possession of child pornography following a previous conviction for the sexual abuse of a minor. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that on March 14, 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received information from Microsoft, that an individual had uploaded nine files of suspected child pornography to a Microsoft platform. NCMEC contacted the New York State Police, who traced the upload to Hudson, a registered sex offender. He was previously convicted in New York State Court of Sexual Abuse in the First for engaging in sexual contact with a child less than 11 years old.
A search warrant was executed at Hudson’s residence, during which police seized his computer. A forensic examination recovered approximately 198 images and 112 videos of child pornography depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors. Some of the images included violence against children.
Hudson made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was held pending a detention hearing.
The criminal complaint is the result of of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].