BUFFALO – A 36-year-old Dunkirk man was arrested and charged in a child pornography case after prosecutors say he tried to act on his “mother/daughter fantasy.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo says that on February 14, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office contacted the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force after they allegedly found Michael Fratini solicited nude images of young girls.
Specifically, prosecutors allege that Fratini targeted pre-pubescent daughters of a female acquaintance, whom he met in October 2021 through a dating app.
“After meeting in person, Witness 1 did not hear from Fratini again until recently when they spoke over the telephone and Fratini told Witness 1 that he had a mother/daughter fantasy,” said the office in a news release. “He then sent a follow-up text message asking for videos and/or pictures of Witness 1’s daughters to fulfill his fantasies.”
After getting the texts, the woman filed a report with the Sheriff’s Office. At the direction of the Sheriff’s Office, she continued text message conversations with Fratini.
On March 18, investigators surveilled Fratini leaving his workplace, the U.S. Postal Service on Grant Street in Buffalo, and travel to an Amherst hotel where he was expecting to meet her.
After arriving at the hotel, Fratini was taken into custody. He is charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Members of the public who have information related to this case are asked to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 716-856-7800.
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