A Cayuga County man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.
Brien Fredendall, 46, of Port Byron, New York, received a 10-year prison sentence on Monday for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. The sentencing was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, who also ordered 15 years of supervised release to follow Fredendall’s imprisonment.
Fredendall, already a convicted sex offender in New York State for a prior child pornography offense, admitted in his plea that he had received CSAM from a minor via Snapchat and possessed additional illicit material on his cell phone.
Repeat offender faces serious consequences
“This was a man who had already been convicted once and still continued to engage in predatory behavior,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “There is no room in our society for predators like Fredendall, other than in prison. His decade-long federal prison term is a clear message: those who prey on our most vulnerable will face the full force of the law.”
Fredendall will also remain on the sex offender registry after completing his sentence.
Investigated under Project Safe Childhood
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat child exploitation and abuse. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli emphasized the importance of collaboration in stopping repeat offenders:
“Mr. Fredendall, who was already a convicted predator, continued to prey on our most vulnerable. Now, he’s headed to federal prison for a decade. The FBI and its partners will continue leveraging every tool to protect children and bring offenders to justice.”
About Project Safe Childhood
Launched in 2006, Project Safe Childhood aims to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as rescue child victims. The program mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to fight the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
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