SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Ryan Berte, age 33, of Eaton, New York, was indicted on September 29, 2022, for receiving and possessing child pornography and for delay of mail while previously serving as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charges filed against Berte carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Berte was arraigned yesterday in Syracuse, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter, and was detained pending further proceedings.
This case was investigated by the USPS-OIG and the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Computer Crimes Unit (CCU). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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.
