Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A 46-year-old priest on administrative leave was arrested and charged Wednesday by criminal complaint with receipt and possession of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
In late 2025, the FBI Criminal Division’s Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Section, Child Exploitation Operational Unit (CEOU), received a referral from law enforcement located in Scotland related to a Telegram group whose members participated in group Zoom calls during which members were observed viewing and sharing child pornography. Investigators linked one of the participants to the username PigBoy666, which was later identified as Jeffrey Nowak of Lackawanna.
As a result, the investigation into Nowak was re-opened by FBI Buffalo in March 2026.
Officials executed a search warrant at Nowak's residence in Lackawanna on Wednesday, during which investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a cell phone, laptop, iPad, a USB storage device, and suspected narcotics. An initial review of the electronics, including the USB storage device, recovered several folders containing videos of child pornography.
“Defendants like Jeffrey Nowak go to great lengths, and in this case great distances, to hide their criminal behavior,” said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo during a Thursday press conference in Downtown Buffalo. “Once in a position of trust, Nowak hid behind a keyboard and took part in the tragic exploitation of one of society’s most vulnerable populations, our children. Nowak has now been exposed and can no longer hide and will be held accountable for his disgraceful behavior.”
According to the criminal complaint, in August 2019, Nowak - a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo - was placed on administrative leave as an investigation was conducted following allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a seminarian.
In December 2019, an email address linked to Nowak was identified as an address that accessed a New Zealand cloud-based digital storage and file-hosting website/application, which contained photos and videos files of sexually exploited children. In May 2021, the FBI conducted an investigation, executing a search warrant for the email address, but no child pornography was found and the investigation was closed in July 2023.
Jeffrey Nowak is accused of being part of a Telegram group whose members participated in group Zoom calls during members were observed viewing and sharing child pornography
Jeffrey Nowak is accused of being part of a Telegram group whose members participated in group Zoom calls during members were observed viewing and sharing child pornography
