ALBANY, NEW YORK – Alden Fuller, age 50, of Syracuse, New York, appeared in federal court on April 24, 2026, on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. On April 27, 2026, Fuller was ordered detained pending trial. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 23, 2026, Fuller, who is a previously convicted sex offender, was found in possession of a cellular telephone with a large volume of child pornography. Fuller had purchased the child pornography from another user of an online social media messaging application. The material Fuller purchased included videos of children as young as six years old being sexually abused.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “As alleged, this defendant was so eager to obtain videos of children being sexually abused that he was willing to pay for it. This is not only reprehensible, but it also helped fuel the online market for material depicting the sexual abuse of children. This is all despite a prior conviction and 6-year state prison sentence. Now, this defendant faces decades in federal prison if convicted, which is exactly where every brazen repeat sexual offender belongs.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan stated: “As a previously convicted sex offender, Alden Fuller’s alleged crimes highlight the ongoing threat posed by individuals who prey on children. This arrest underscores the critical importance of HSI’s partnerships with federal, state, and local counterparts to safeguard neighborhoods and hold criminals accountable. HSI Syracuse, together with the law enforcement community, will never stop fighting for children and other at-risk victims, and will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to exploit them.”
The charge of receiving child pornography filed against Fuller carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years. The charge of possessing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release between five years and life. Fuller will also be required to continue registering as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of New York — U.S. Department of Justice press release.