BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Wyoming County man was indicted on charges of transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo.
On Nov. 20th, Shayne M. Hildreth, 44, of Eagle, N.Y., pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography at the U.S. District Court for the District of Western New York.
“HSI Buffalo takes every crime tip seriously, especially when it involves protecting children from child sexual exploitation and abuse,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “Tips from the public, such as those provided by the brave young girl in this case, significantly aided our investigation of this heinous crime and help us advocate for innocent victims. Together with our partners, we continue to seek justice for the children who are victimized by the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.”
HSI credited partners Aurora-Marionville Police Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office for their support in the investigation leading to the indictment.
According to the investigation, on Feb. 24, 2018, a 15-year-old minor victim disclosed that she had been sexually abused by Hildreth and that she had seen child pornography on his cell phone. She reported that Hildreth was traveling from the Western District of New York to Aurora, Mo. During an encounter with Hildreth later that day, law enforcement seized his cell phone. A search of the cell phone located 12 images of child pornography. Hildreth had engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, which involved sexual contact on two separate occasions.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Know2Protect is a national public awareness campaign from the Department of Homeland Security. K2P’s aim is to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults, and policymakers to prevent, combat, and report online child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information, please visit our YouTube playlists at Know2Protect Campaign PSA Playlist and Know2Protect Digital Safety Series Playlist on the DHS main channel. Additional resources are available at know2protect.gov, Instagram, Facebook and X.