PRESS RELEASE
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced Tuesday that Jacob Tunison, 29, of Olean, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 14, 2019, the Cuba, NY Police Department alerted the FBI regarding the possible sexual exploitation of a child using social media. Subsequent investigation determined that in November of 2018, Tunison used one or more social media applications to communicate with a 13 year old female. The defendant sent numerous lewd images of himself to the minor, and solicited the minor to produce and send various images of herself to him.
Tunison made an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held following a detention hearing. The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Cuba Police Department, under the direction of Chief Dustin Burch, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jamestown Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
