The U.S. Western District Court of New York reports that a Rochester firefighter is being prosecuted for child p*rnography. Brett Marrapese, 31, of Irondequoit, is accused of making, distributing, receiving, and possessing child p*rnography, some of which is believed to have been created by children younger than 12 years old.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, it was tipped off that someone was posting child p*rnography online; when NYSP began investigating, they discovered that the IP address was linked to the Rochester Fire Department’s internet service.
Several firefighters, including Marrapese, were interviewed by state police between 2016 and 2021; all of them denied seeing the videos. On March 20, 2023, the father of a 13-year-old girl reported to the Irondequoit Police Department that his daughter had been chatting to a person she believed to be a child on Snapchat; the person in question was identified only as “thatdude_2790.”
The girl was reportedly duped into sending s*xually explicit photos and videos by the aforementioned individual. During the course of their investigation, the police discovered a second young individual who had been duped into sending s*xual recordings of themselves to the Instagram user “Taylorsimpson2419.”
The tweet below verifies the news:
Firefighter accused of keeping at least 1,400 images of child p*rnography https://t.co/s226FE41CZ
— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) June 23, 2023
After executing multiple search warrants on the two accounts used in those conversations, investigators were able to identify Marrapese, who was impersonating as a youngster, as the account’s real owner. At least 110 juveniles were found to have connected with him, and several of them sent him child p*rnography, according to the police.
On June 13th, 2023, search warrants were performed at Marrapese’s residence, camper, vehicle, and RFD lockers. They took many items into custody, including a cell phone they think was used in the original NYSP probe.
More than 100 films and 1,400 photos of child s*xual abuse were found on the device. Some of the photos and videos allegedly show infants and toddlers being s*xually abused. Prosecutors also claimed to have discovered secretly taken photos of youngsters as well as photos of children that had been altered to make it look that they were engaging in s*xual acts with adults.
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To report information on Marrapese, “Taylorsimpson2419,” and “thatdude_2790” to the FBI, call (585) 279-0085. Marrapese has made his first court appearance and is currently being detained pending the outcome of his detention hearing. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 15 years in jail, up to 30 years, and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Rochester issued a statement regarding the probe:
Brett Marrapese remains on suspension. Employment actions will be taken in the coming days based on the allegations in the federal complaint against him. The City defers all additional comment to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Rochester Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 1071, also released a statement:
Local 1071 is aware of the very serious and disturbing charges filed against Brett Marrapese today. However, IAFF Local 1071 does not have any further information beyond what has already been made public, as the union does not have any role in, or involvement with, the criminal case.
The Bivona Child Advocacy Center also commented on the case, saying the organization isn’t allowed to comment on active cases:
While we cannot comment on active cases, our purpose at Bivona Child Advocacy Center is to seek and support children who have been impacted by the trauma of abuse. Our main priority is to ensure the safety, healing, and well-being for children as well as our multidisciplinary team at Bivona who work directly with them. Regardless of who the offenders may be, we are here for the children as they remain our priority. Prevention education is critical to ensuring a child’s safety and caregivers can lay the foundation for protection with their children by having developmentally appropriate conversations with them about their bodies and boundaries. Bivona stands at the ready to support children and caregivers. If you have any questions or concerns about the safety of a child in your life, please contact Bivona or law enforcement for assistance.
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