CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Robert Gonzalez, 42, of Rochester, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with production and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on December 3, 2018, the Rochester Police Department received a 911 call from a mother regarding her missing 14-year-old daughter who had not been seen since December 1, 2018. The mother, who attempted to call her daughter’s cell phone several times without success, told police that her daughter left the house that day around 1:00 p.m. without her permission. The mother also told officers that she recently discovered that her daughter was in an inappropriate sexual relationship with her neighbor, Robert Gonzalez. The mother stated that she caught the defendant kissing her daughter in front of her house, and that her daughter confessed to her that she has been dating Gonzalez and that they had sex numerous times.
In addition, the mother stated that there were messages from her daughter’s Facebook account between her and the defendant indicating that they were in a sexual relationship. Messages included: “I love you,” “Come over,” and Gonzalez asking if they were going to make love to which the daughter responded, “yeah 100.” The mother also stated that a friend advised her that the defendant took her daughter to New York City. A Facebook photograph of the daughter and a New York City skyline in the background was posted to the daughter's account on December 2, 2018. A friend of Robert Gonzalez also told officers that Robert Gonzalez told him that he took the daughter to New York City but would not state exactly where in New York City.
An emergency trace was put on the defendant's cell phone which showed that he was in fact in New York City. An Amber Alert was issued and the FBI and NYPD assisted with the investigation and ultimately apprehended Robert Gonzalez. The defendant was apprehended on December 6, 2018, at the Red Carpet Inn in Brooklyn, NY.
At the time of his arrest, officers seized Gonzalez’s cell phone. A search of the recovered numerous videos, taken between November 12, 2018, and November 19, 2018, of the defendant engaging in sexual activity with the daughter.
The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Simmons, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the New York Police Department, under the direction of Chief Terence Monahan.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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