A convicted child abuser re-offends in Wayne County
Rochester child rapist faces 12 years in federal prison
From the U.S Attorney Michael DiGiacomo,
WAYNE COUNTY REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER ARRESTED ON NEW CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
BUFFALO, NY-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Geoffrey Hayes, 40, of Webster, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a fine up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that in November 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a child pornography CyberTip from Stelivo LLC, a company that runs several chatroom websites, including FreeChat. The tip reported that an individual, later identified as Hayes, uploaded approximately 11 image files of suspected child pornography to the website schat.freechatnow.com. Hayes is a registered sex offender who was convicted of Attempted Possession of a Sexual Performance by a Child in 2021.
In May 2024, the New York State Police executed search warrants at Hayes’ residence. During the search, investigators seized two cell phones. An analysis of one of the phones recovered approximately 83 image files of suspected child pornography, approximately 41 image files of suspected child exploitative and erotica images, and approximately 81 image files of age difficult explicit material. An analysis of the second phone recovered approximately 5,174 image files and approximately 1,901 video files of suspected child pornography, and approximately 6,714 image files and 205 videos of child exploitative and erotica material.
Hayes made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
ROCHESTER MAN WHO LURED MINOR TO HOTEL FOR SEX GOING TO PRISON
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jonathan Woody, 31, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of coercion and enticement of a minor, was sentenced to 144 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that in January 2024, Woody engaged in sexually explicit online and text communications with a 13-year-old child that he met on social media. On January 2, 2024, Woody paid for an Uber to transport the child to a hotel in Greece, NY, where he rented a room. While at the hotel, Woody provided alcohol and marijuana and engaged in sexual acts with the child. After realizing that the child was missing from home, the child’s family called 911 to initiate a missing person investigation. The child returned home, at which time law enforcement learned of Woody’s interactions with the child. Subsequent investigation resulted in the identification and arrest of Woody.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
