Saratoga County Man Charged With Distribution of Child Pornography
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert Gibeault, Jr., age 49, of Gansevoort, New York, was indicted yesterday for distributing child pornography over the internet and possessing child pornography on a laptop computer.Â
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).Â
The indictment alleges that, between January 2017 through September 2017, Gibeault used a peer-to-peer file sharing network and the internet to make child pornography videos available to be downloaded by other users. Â It also alleges that Gibeault possessed a laptop computer containing images of child pornography, and that the images depicted prepubescent children and children under the age of 12.Â
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Gibeault, who was originally arrested in June on a criminal complaint, will be arraigned on the indictment at a later date. If convicted, Gibeault faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. 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. Additionally, if convicted, Gibeault will be required to register as a sex offender.Â
This case is being investigated by HSI, with assistance from the New York State Police and Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph A. Giovannetti and Emmet O’Hanlon.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Department of Justice
Office of the U.S. Attorney
Northern District of New York
Source: Justice.gov