4 Capital Region men charged in child porn sweep

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Lamendola

Eleven men from northern and central New York, including one each from Johnstown, Schenectady, Wynantskill and Rensselaer, are facing charges of child pornography, state and federal authorities announced today.

Scott Purcell, 21, of Johnstown, was charged on Thursday with the receipt and possession of child pornography.

Joshua Stanfill, 23, of Schenectady, was charged with the distribution and receipt of child pornography.

Shawn Butcher, 35, of Wynantskill, was charged with the distribution and receipt of child pornography.

The three, if convicted, face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and a lifetime term of supervised release.

A fourth Capital Region suspect, Kevin Preston, 18, of Rensselaer, was charged with the possession of material depicting the sexual performance of a child. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 11⁄3-3 years.

Conducting the investigations were the New York state Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the United States Attorney’s Office. The ICAC program is a federally funded nationwide network of law enforcement agencies designed to combat the threat of child exploitation on the Internet. The state task force is a regional law enforcement task force with members from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The ICAC program targets individuals who use the Internet to entice children for sexual purposes, as well as those who manufacture, distribute, receive, and possess child pornography.

Authorities are seeking six other people as part of the investigation.