BUFFALO — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that 33-year-old Matthew Bailer, of Jamestown, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth R. Moellering, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on July 11, 2018, the Jamestown Police Department received a complaint from a parent that her minor children, victim one and victim two, may have been sexually abused by the defendant. The parent stated that she was told by the defendant’s sister that she found a series of concerning pictures, sexual in nature, on a Nokia cellular telephone that was used by the defendant.

Bailer was subsequently arrested on a warrant out of Missouri related to a burglary case. During a search of the Nokia cellular telephone, investigators recovered several hundred images of images of child pornography involving sexually explicit conduct by prepubescent and pubescent children, both male and female.

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and is being detained.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Harry Snellings.