Buffalo, NY (WBEN) A Tonawanda man faces nearly a millennium behind bars following a 39 count indictment.
Federal prosecutors say in April 2024, a 17-year-old minor female contacted police in Arizona, stating that she was being harassed by Trevor Knapp online after the two met online in 2020, when she was was 13 years old.
As the two began communicating, the conversations became sexual in nature. Prosecutors say Knapp sent sexually explicit videos of himself to the minor victim and he asked that she send naked images of herself, but she declined. "However, the minor victim would get out of the shower naked while the two were video chatting and Knapp would screen capture an image of her," says the US Attorney's office.
Prosecturos say the minor victim, who was uncomfortable with how he was talking, would delete or block Knapp but he would utilize a new account to regain contact. Knapp also located the minor victim’s Instagram account and messaged her on that platform as well. The minor victim advised Knapp multiple times of her real age.
On October 10, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Knapp’s residence, during which investigators seized two of his cell phones, both of which were found to contain child pornography. A preliminary search recovered a sexually explicit video that included Knapp and the first minor victim.
The indictment includes charges relating to six minor victims, one of which Knapp is accused of traveling in interstate commerce to have sex with the victim on two occasions. If convicted on all counts, Knapp faces 930 years in prison.