A Niagara Falls man was sentenced to 139 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material after an earlier New York sexual abuse conviction.
U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara also ordered 10 years of supervised release for James Lajoie, 31, according to an Oct. 8 release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York. The office said Lajoie had been convicted of possessing child pornography following a prior conviction under state law related to sexual abuse.
In June 2016, Lajoie was convicted of attempted sexual abuse in the first degree. He was sentenced to three years in prison and 10 years of post-release supervision in that case, prosecutors said.
A New York parole officer found an unauthorized cellphone during an August 2023 inspection of Lajoie's home. A review of the phone found approximately 54 images and four videos of child sexual abuse material, according to the federal release.
Prosecutors said Lajoie obtained the material over the internet. Some of it depicted prepubescent children and violence against children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango prosecuted the federal case. The investigation involved the FBI, the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
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