BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The U.S. Attorney's Office announced a Tonawanda man faces up to 930 years in prison for over 30 child pornography-related charges.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a federal grand jury returned a 39-count indictment charging 34-year-old Trevor Knapp with:
- 15 counts of production of child pornography
- Two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct
- One count of distribution of child pornography
- 19 counts receipt of child pornography
- Two counts possession of child pornography
Investigators said in April 2024, a 17-year-old female contacted the Flagstaff, Arizona, Police Department and reported that she was being harassed by a 32-year-old male named Trevor Knapp online. According to investigators, the minor victim met Knapp in 2020 when she was 13 years old, on the friend-finding website called “mylol," and as they began communicating, the conversations allegedly became sexual in nature.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Knapp sent sexually explicit videos of himself to the minor victim and asked that she send naked images of herself, but she declined. However, investigators said the minor victim would get out of the shower while they were video chatting and Knapp would screen capture an image of her.
Knapp is also accused of messaging through Google Chat and utilizing multiple Google email accounts. According to investigators, the minor victim, who was uncomfortable with how he was talking, would delete or block him but he would create a new account to contact her. Knapp also allegedly located the victim’s Instagram account and also messaged her on that platform.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the victim advised Knapp multiple times of her real age and asked that he leave her alone, telling him that she had a boyfriend.
"Knapp then requested images of the minor victim and her boyfriend having sex," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a release.
Knapp is accused of sending the victim a naked image of a second minor victim, a female living in Pennsylvania.
Investigators said the two minor victims began communicating, and the second minor victim described Knapp as “the pedophile.”
A search warrant was executed at Knapp’s residence on October 10, 2024, and two of his cell phones were seized, both of which were allegedly found to contain child pornography. A sexually explicit video that included Knapp and the first minor victim was allegedly recovered as well.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the indictment includes charges relating to six minor victims and Knapp is accused of traveling across state lines to have sex with one of the victims on two occasions.
