U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced that Michael E. Swain, a resident of Tonawanda, NY, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his involvement in producing child pornography. In addition to the prison term, Swain will face lifetime supervised release, as determined by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango explained that between October 20 and November 1, 2021, Swain coerced five underage victims into participating in sexually explicit activities to create visual depictions. One particular case involved a 15-year-old female from Colorado, with whom Swain communicated through the social media platform Discord. Their exchanges involved sexually explicit discussions, and Swain persuaded the minor to send sexual videos and images to him. From 2019 to 2022, Swain maintained numerous sexual communications with the same minor, receiving additional explicit content during this period.
On February 28, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a search of Swain's residence. Investigators confiscated multiple electronic devices, including a desktop computer, a laptop, and an external hard drive, all of which contained child pornography.
The investigation leading to Swain's sentencing was conducted by the Tonawanda Police Department, led by Chief James Stauffiger, alongside the FBI Buffalo Office Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, supervised by Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. The New York State Police also played a significant role under the leadership of Amie Feroleto.