Erie County Man Charged With Possessing Child Pornography

Attorney General Spitzer today announced the arrest and arraignment of an Erie County man charged with possessing pornographic images of children.

The defendant, Douglas Nail, 47, of Depew, was arrested on January 23 and charged in Depew Village Court with a single count of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child. The count is a class "E" felony punishable by up to four years in state prison. Nail pleaded not guilty before Judge Gordon Willis, who set bail at $1,500 cash or a $4,000 bond. Nail has been released on bail.

Pursuant to an investigation conducted by New York State’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a warrant was obtained authorizing the search of Nail’s residence and seizure of certain electronic evidence. It is alleged that during the execution of the warrant, evidence was discovered containing images of children engaged in sexual conduct. ICAC is a federally-funded task force, consisting of the Attorney General’s Office, the New York State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice Services. It was created to investigate and prosecute crimes involving children and the internet.

The task force was assisted during the execution of the warrant by the Erie County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

The charges contained in the felony complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information on this matter or who wants to speak with a law enforcement official, please contact New York State Police in Clarence at (716) 759-6831.

The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Paul F. McCarthy of the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau. He is assisted by Investigators Casey Quinlan, James Domres and Thomas Spulecki from New York State Police.