Five Western New York residents are facing felony charges after a two-day undercover operation targeting online child exploitation took place in Erie County in early October. The suspects range in age from 29 to 69 and live in Buffalo, Tonawanda, and Lockport. A sixth man connected to the investigation was separately taken into federal custody days later on an unrelated supervised release violation.
Michael J. Soloman, 43, of Tonawanda; Kelly J. Kagel, 38, of Lockport; Anthoney F. Stokes, 47, of Buffalo; and Alexander A. Amarena, 29, of Lockport were all arrested on October 2, according to Newport Dispatch. Joseph D. Boyler, 69, of Tonawanda, was arrested the following day. All five were charged with attempted rape in the second degree, a Class E felony under New York law, as reported by the Utica Phoenix.
The arrests stemmed from a multi-agency operation that combined investigators from the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation out of SP Clarence, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Lancaster Police Department. State police announcements describe the two-day effort as a coordinated push across local, state, and federal law enforcement lines. The suspects' addresses span three municipalities in two counties — Buffalo and Tonawanda in Erie County, and Lockport in neighboring Niagara County, per the same Utica Phoenix account.
A Separate Federal Arrest Tied to the Case
A sixth individual, 29-year-old Mohammad Mohanuddin of Buffalo, was taken into federal custody on October 4 after the FBI determined he had violated the conditions of his supervised release with U.S. Probation. The Utica Phoenix notes that this is a distinct legal track from the five state felony cases: Mohanuddin's arrest was carried out on a federal probation warrant, not the state attempted rape charge facing the other defendants. State police announcements have not specified the underlying federal conviction that placed Mohanuddin under supervised release in the first place.
Under New York Penal Law Section 130.30, full Rape in the Second Degree is a Class D felony involving sexual contact with a victim under 15 by an offender 18 or older, carrying a maximum of up to seven years in prison, according to the Law Firm of Andrew M. Stengel. When charged as an attempt under Article 110, the offense drops a degree to a Class E felony — the charge filed against the five Western New York suspects. A Class E felony conviction in New York carries a statutory maximum of up to four years in state prison, up to one year in local jail, or probation of up to 10 years in specified circumstances; certain split-sentence options include five years of probation; sex-offender registration applies when the conviction is for a qualifying sex offense, per Criminal Laws NY.
How the Investigation Fits a Larger Task Force Network
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation out of SP Clarence was one of the agencies involved in the state's investigative work in this case. The New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigates crimes involving the online exploitation of children and works collaboratively with federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify and apprehend people who target kids online.
The New York State Police ICAC unit is part of the national ICAC program, which links 61 coordinated task forces funded through the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, connecting local investigators with federal forensic resources to combat technology-facilitated child exploitation.
Investigators in Western New York also have access to specialized regional support: the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children maintains a New York Regional Office in Rochester that provides technical, forensic, and case-support services to local agencies working online exploitation cases. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was established in 1984.
Police Seek Public Tips on Possible Victims
State police announcements have not detailed the specific online platforms monitored or the undercover tactics used during the two-day operation, leaving open questions about exactly how investigators made contact with the suspects. Following the arrests, New York State Police asked anyone with information about the individuals' activities, or anyone who suspects they may be a victim, to contact Troop A investigators at 585-344-6200 or by email.
