Michael Fratini

A Dunkirk man employed by the U.S. Postal Service has been charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

Michael Fratini, 36, was taken into custody Friday following an investigation that included the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Fratini used his cell phone to “solicit nude photos and videos of the pre-pubescent daughters of a female acquaintance” he had met in October 2021 through a dating app.

Fratini reportedly told the woman he met that he had a “mother/daughter fantasy” and followed up with a request asking for videos and pictures.

The woman then filed a report with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, and at the direction of investigators continued to communicate with the Dunkirk resident.

After leaving work at the Postal Service on Grant Street in Buffalo, Fratini drove to an Amherst hotel where he was expecting to meet the woman. Upon arrival at the hotel, Fratini was taken into custody.

Members of the public who have information related to the case are asked to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 716-856-7800.

Fratini appeared at a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was ordered detained.