Joseph Hudson III, a 26-year-old resident of Williamson, NY, has been arrested and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. These charges follow a prior conviction for the sexual abuse of a minor, as announced by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The allegations against Hudson carry potential penalties of a minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi is overseeing the case. Rossi explained that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Microsoft on March 14, 2024, indicating that a user uploaded nine files containing suspected child pornography to a Microsoft platform. The alert was forwarded to the New York State Police, who identified Hudson as the user. Hudson is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree for inappropriate contact with a child under 11 years old.
Following this identification, a search warrant was executed at Hudson’s home. Authorities confiscated his computer and found approximately 198 images and 112 videos of child pornography, including images with violence against minors.
Hudson appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained pending a detention hearing.
The investigation was carried out by the New York State Police, led by Major Kevin Sucher, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the supervision of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
It is essential to note that these charges are accusations. Hudson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.