A Salamanca man has been charged in the production, receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross said Robert Calkins, Jr., 37, could face a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in April 2020, the New York State Police began an investigation after receiving multiple reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children referencing Calkins as the subject of activity and material involving suspected child pornography. In September 2020, state police investigators executed a search warrant at Calkins’ East Jefferson Street residence in Salamanca, seizing four cell phones and an SD card. A forensic analysis recovered thousands of images and videos of suspected child pornography on the phones and SD card. Some of the images depict a minor female whom Calkins had contact with. Also recovered were sexually explicit Facebook Messenger conversations between Calkins and what is believed to be a 16-year-old minor female.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.