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| Russell Ruth |
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who is
handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in early March 2018,
Yahoo! reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC) that a subscriber uploaded five suspected child pornography files to a
Yahoo! server. NCMEC contacted law enforcement officers who traced the files to
an email address belonging to the defendant.
On June 7, 2018, the New York State Police executed the
search warrant at Ruth’s Ditton Street residence in Lyons. A forensic
examination of the defendant’s laptop computer and cellular telephone recovered
hundreds of images and videos of child pornography involving minor boys.
The defendant was employed by the Boy Scouts of America in
the Ovid, NY area.
Members of the public who have information related to this
case are urged to contact the local HSI Buffalo Office at 716-464-5949. HSI
victim-witness specialists will be available to assist any parent or guardian
should they need victim-related resources. If any members of the public have
general questions or concerns regarding sexual abuse of children or would like
guidance on how to discuss this issue with children, please call the Bivona
Child Advocacy Center at 1-585-935-7800.
Ruth made an initial appearance today before U.S. District Judge
Jonathan W. Feldman and is being held pending a detention hearing on July 11,
2018, at 2:30 p.m.
The complaint is the result of investigation by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction
of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
