News release
SYRACUSE, NY
– Christopher Hoyt, 34, of Pulaski, New York, pled guilty yesterday to one count each of transportation of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon, Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.
As part of his guilty plea, Hoyt admitted that he uploaded an image of child pornography to the social media platform Tumblr, making it available for others to view. He also admitted using the social media platform Wickr Me to chat with another user from whom he received images and videos of child pornography, and to whom he distributed a link allowing the user to access a collection of over 1,900 images and 122 videos of child pornography. Additionally, Hoyt admitted that at the time law enforcement officers recovered his cellular telephone, he possessed on it 1,445 images and 32 videos depicting child pornography.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 5, 2021, before Hon. Thomas J. McAvoy in Binghamton, New York, at which time Hoyt faces a minimum sentence of 5 years, with a maximum of up to 20 years in prison on each count, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Hoyt will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the New York State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sahar L. Amandolare.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.