BUFFALO — A Falls man will serve two decades in prison for producing child pornography while a Lockport man faces a similar prison sentence for possessing child porn.
Both cases were the subject of hearings in federal court in Buffalo on Monday.
Jessy Santos, 30, of the Falls, was ordered to spend 20 years behind bars by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., for his conviction on a charge of production of child pornography.
Federal prosecutors said Santos produced a digital recording of himself engaged in sexual conduct with an 8-year-old minor victim on June 23, 2016. Prosecutors said Santos used a cell phone to record the conduct.
At the same time, Kevin Moore, 40, of Lockport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to a single count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Federal prosecutors said Moore’s ex-girlfriend took a USB drive that belonged to him and plugged it into a computer in June 2022. The former girlfriend found child pornography on the drive and reported it to the Buffalo Police Department.
Police seized the USB drive and turned it over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A forensic review of the drive recovered approximately 33 videos and 360 images of child pornography, some of which depicted pre-pubescent children and violence against children.
Also in federal court on Monday, Kevin S. Wise, Jr., 33, of Wilson, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny to charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, being a user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $1 million fine.
Prosecutors said Wise was arrested on Sept, 6, 2020, following a traffic stop, for a domestic complaint that accused him of aggravated harassment. After his arrest, investigators executed search warrants on vehicles and two homes that Wise owned and resided at on Youngstown Road.
Investigators recovered 23 firearms, 18,446 rounds of ammunition, firearms parts, approximately 374 grams of marijuana, a quantity of MDA, psilocybin mushrooms, two digital scales, and $2,717 in cash. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents also located 11 marijuana plants and observed multiple trail cameras positioned throughout Wise’s backyard, woods and the location of the marijuana plants.
Wise admitted that, at the time of his possession of the firearms, he was a user of marijuana and methamphetamine.
On Aug. 1, 2022, investigators executed another search warrant at one of Wise’s Youngstown Road residences. At that time, Wise was on federal pre-trial release.
During the search, investigators recovered seven additional firearms, approximately 3,692 rounds of ammunition, numerous firearms parts and accessories, drug paraphernalia and suspected marijuana and THC products.
Wise was previously convicted of a felony in Niagara County in October 2014 and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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