Cayuga County Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Brien Fredendall, age 46, of Port Byron, New York, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for his convictions on two counts of possession of child pornography. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Fredendall, who has a previous New York State conviction for possession of child pornography, admitted that he possessed videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) he received from a minor on his Snapchat account. He also admitted to possessing additional CSAM on his cellular phone.

Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release to begin after Fredendall's release from imprisonment. Fredendall will also be required to continue to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Acting United States Attorney Sarcone stated: "The U.S. Attorney's Office will relentlessly pursue and prosecute anyone who seeks to exploit and harm children. There is no room in our society for predators like Fredendall, other than in prison. His decade-long federal prison term is a clear message: those who prey on our most vulnerable will face the full force of the law. We are unwavering in our mission to protect children and hold offenders accountable."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli said, "Mr. Fredendall, who was already a convicted predator, continued to prey on our most vulnerable. Now, he's headed to federal prison for a decade. The FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to leverage our partnerships at every level of law enforcement to stop children from being exploited and bring to justice those responsible for these despicable acts."

This case was investigated by the FBI's Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with the assistance of the Cayuga County Sherriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.