ICE Buffalo investigation nets 30-year sentence for New York man on child exploitation charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A New York man was sentenced for child exploitation charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with support from New York State Police.

William Seneca, Sr., age 65, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child sexual abuse material, the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern New York announced Feb. 12.

“No child should have to live with the horrific trauma Seneca inflicted on his victim for years,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “ICE HSI Buffalo uses a victim-centered approach in their investigations of online child sexual exploitation and abuse to ensure justice is served for the innocent youth preyed upon by depraved predators.”

According to court records, Seneca admitted that, from approximately 2000 through 2008, he engaged in sexual conduct with a minor male child, starting when the child was about seven years old. On several different occasions during that period, Seneca created sexually explicit images depicting that child. Seneca also admitted that, on at least one occasion, he distributed the material he created to someone in Canada.

In addition to the terms of imprisonment and supervised release, Seneca was also ordered to pay $1,141.14 in restitution to the victim and he will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

Know2Protect (K2P) 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.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)