Daniel Lanfrit, age 50, was sentenced on May 13 to five years in prison and ten years of supervised release for possessing child pornography, according to an announcement by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
The case underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address crimes involving the exploitation of children. Lanfrit admitted that he traveled to Canada with a cell phone and tablet containing nearly 400 images of child pornography. When he returned to a U.S. port of entry, officials searched his devices and discovered the illegal material.
Sarcone said, “This defendant’s conduct shows his sick perversion, bordering on obsession, when he went on vacation to Canada and brought two devices containing child pornography. The images were available to him wherever he was and whenever he wished. The images of child pornography were distinct and different on each device, explaining why the defendant needed to take both with him on vacation so he could have access to his full collection. When the defendant arrived back in the United States, we discovered the devices containing the child pornography and moved to prosecute him. I thank Customs and Border Protection and HSI for their work in bringing this individual to justice.”
Keegan said, “Daniel Lanfrit’s possession of nearly 400 images of child sexual abuse material fueled the exploitation of children, inflicted lasting harm on vulnerable victims, and posed a serious threat to the safety of our communities. Every one of these horrific images represents a real child who was abused. HSI Syracuse, working alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and our law enforcement partners, will continue to protect children and the public from further harm, and hold accountable those who fuel this cycle of victimization.”
In addition to prison time and supervised release terms ordered by United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi in Utica, Lanfrit must pay $15,000 in restitution to victims and register as a sex offender upon release.
Homeland Security Investigations led this case with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carling Dunham.
Project Safe Childhood is described as a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated federal resources focused on identifying offenders online as well as rescuing victims; more information can be found at the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York supports community wellness by coordinating law enforcement initiatives while conducting outreach programs designed both deter crime foster public trust; it maintains offices Albany Binghamton Plattsburgh Syracuse employs about fifty Assistant United States Attorneys along more than fifty support staff serves thirty-two counties covering over thirty thousand square miles with approximately three point four million residents according to its official website.
