A Paterson lawyer was charged yesterday with illegally possessing child pornography on his laptop computer.
[Photo: Maltese issued a proclamation and posed for pictures with Vito Grimaldi, identified by the FBI as a made member of the Bonanno crime family in a 2002 indictment.]
Robert Groezinger, 53, surrendered to federal authorities in White Plains to face a two-count criminal complaint that charged him with receiving and possessing child pornography.
For the past 20 years, Groezinger has served as a part-time associate counsel for state Sen. Serphin Maltese, R-Queens. But he was fired yesterday after he was charged in U.S. District Court in White Plains.
Family values Republicans strike again!
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A Patterson lawyer was charged yesterday with illegally possessing child pornography on his laptop computer.
Robert Groezinger, 53, surrendered to federal authorities in White Plains to face a two-count criminal complaint that charged him with receiving and possessing child pornography.
For the past 20 years, Groezinger has served as a part-time associate counsel for state Sen. Serphin Maltese, R-Queens. But he was fired yesterday after he was charged in U.S. District Court in White Plains.
"The senator absolutely has no tolerance for this type of activity," said Victoria Vattimo, a spokeswoman for Maltese.
Groezinger was released on $100,000 bond after an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith. The judge ordered Groezinger to wear an electronic monitor.
Groezinger's lawyer, Vincent Briccetti, described his client as "a respected member of the Bar." But he declined further comment pending a review of the case against Groezinger.
Federal authorities alleged that they found more than 40 images of child pornography on Groezinger's laptop computer, which was seized from his home Sept. 8, according to the complaint filed by Leonard Bogdanski, an agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Those images either had been deleted or were in the Internet cache, which is "a kind of travel record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the Web, including images, sounds, Web pages, even cookies," according to Microsoft's Web site.
Federal authorities began investigating Groezinger after arresting a California resident who was accused of possessing child pornography. Authorities said they found Internet chat records and e-mail exchanges between the unidentified California resident and an e-mail address associated with Groezinger, according to the complaint.
Bogdanski said more than 25 images of child pornography were found on the California resident's computer. Those images, he said, were from e-mail and chat exchanges with Groezinger.
If convicted, Groezinger faces up to 20 years in prison. He is due back in court Nov. 12.
