BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Four men from Western New York, ranging in ages 20 to 68, were arrested and charged with possession of child pornography during a nationwide crackdown led by the FBI, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Over the course of five days, Operation Restore Justice led to the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders nationwide, officials said.
The four men arrested were identified as Samari Thompson, 20, of Buffalo, Jamie Anderson, 25, of Buffalo, Matthew Kowalski, 25, of Kenmore, and Brian Keith, 68, of Niagara Falls.
Over 60 images and videos of suspected child pornography were allegedly found on a cellphone at Thompson’s residence, including images and videos depicting infants.
Officials said Anderson and Kowalski were each sentenced to 10 years of probation for possessing a sexual performance of a minor in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Apparent child pornography was allegedly uploaded to a Kik account traced back to Anderson. Images of suspected child pornography were allegedly found in Kowalski’s possession during an unannounced home visit last month.
Keith was found to be in possession of child pornography on multiple devices in March and is a registered Level 3 sex offender, according to the attorney’s office.
The Justice Department encourages the public to report suspected child exploitation through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling a local FBI field office.
Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.
