Federal jury convicts Livingston County man of multiple counts of child pornography

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Patrick J. Steinmetz, 40, of Springwater, NY, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 60 years.

In March 2024, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office began investigating the report of a sexual assault between Steinmetz and a 16-year-old girl (Minor Victim 1-MV1), who is known to him. MV1 reported that Steinmetz sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of approximately nine months. MV1 stated that she was sexually assaulted by Steinmetz every week, starting in the summer of 2023 when she was 15 years old.

During the course of the nine months that she was sexually assaulted, Steinmetz gave MV1 a cell phone to hide from her mother. According to MV1, Steinmetz used the cell phone to take photos and video recordings of MV1's naked body as well as while he was sexually assaulting her. A forensic review of the cell phone recovered video of Steinmetz sexually assaulting MV1.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katelyn M. Hartford and Franz M. Wright. The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen B. Davis II.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., who presided over the trial of the case.

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