A 22-year-old Cheektowaga man is facing a federal charge of producing child sexual abuse material after investigators say a Snapchat report led them to explicit chat messages between him and a girl who identified herself as 13 years old. Bryce Weston was arrested and now faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
According to WKBW, the case traces back to August 23, 2023, when Snapchat reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a file containing child pornography had been uploaded to its server, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. That report prompted NCMEC to create a CyberTipline report, which in turn led to an investigation by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Investigators traced the file to Weston.
Search Warrant Turns Up Explicit Chats
State Police executed a search warrant at Weston’s home on Columbus Avenue on October 14, 2023, recovering his cell phone, the station’s report states. On the device, investigators say they found a chat conversation with a girl who identified herself as 13 years old, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Within those messages, Weston allegedly used the alias Jake and claimed he was 15, “gonna be 16,” the report notes. Weston allegedly said he was 20, the girl again said she was 13, and Weston then said he thought she was kidding about her age. Despite that exchange, prosecutors say the two continued communicating until October, with conversations that were sexually explicit and included the exchange of multiple photos between them, according to the same account. Weston also allegedly indicated he wanted to meet the minor in person, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Potential Penalties and Broader Context
Weston was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison, along with a fine of up to $250,000, the station’s report states.
Federal law, under 18 U.S.C. § 2251, frames the use of children in producing sexually explicit material as a form of sexual abuse that can cause physical or psychological harm, or both, according to the U.S. Code. Nationally, the scale of online enticement reports has grown sharply: NCMEC says its CyberTipline received 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement in 2025, a 158% increase from 2024, with more than 800 of those reports involving an offender who traveled to meet a child in person, according to missingkids.org. The organization also reported that CyberTipline reports related to child sex trafficking rose 323% compared to the prior year.
