White Plains Man Faces Child Pornography Charges

A White Plains 22-year-old had more than 10,000 images and videos of child porn on his home computer, said authorities who announced his arrest today. Samuel J. Fanelli was charged with one count of possessing, and one count of receiving and distributing, child pornography.

“Individuals who receive and distribute child pornography prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, our children," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, in a release. “As technology advances and facilitates the spread of child pornography, our office and the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to combat this scourge on our community and to protect the innocent from harm.”

According to a complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, police arrested Fanelli in his White Plains home on Jan. 28. 

If convicted, he could be sent to prison for a maximum of 30 years and be forced to pay half a million dollars.

According to the complaint, on Sept. 1 an undercover FBI agent convinced Fanelli to let the agent access his peer-to-peer file sharing program. The agent downloaded 138 files and five videos he reported as child pornography. All images and videos cited in the report were of young boys.

Police executed a search warrant on Dec. 21 to Fanelli’s home where he lives with his mother and her boyfriend. Police found a personal computer with 10,000 images and video files containing child pornography. According to the complaint, Fanelli said the room where the computer was found was his, and that he owned the computer.

He is currently being held at Westchester County Jail in Valhalla. Fanelli’s lawyer did not immediately return calls.

In addition to the FBI, Bharara also praised the New Rochelle and Larchmont police departments for assisting in the investigation, which is ongoing.

 Anyone with any information can call 914-989-6000.

“The FBI remains committed to vigorous enforcement of child pornography laws,” said Janice Fedarcyk, the assistant director-in-charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI. “The market for child pornography creates demand for images, and the production of those images means the victimization and exploitation of children. Child pornography is not a victimless crime, it is a grave assault on the most innocent victims.”