ROCHESTER MAN FACES FEDERAL CHILD EXPLOITATION CHARGES AFTER DRUG INTERDICTION UNCOVERS ONLINE ABUSE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Federal authorities have arrested a Rochester man on multiple child exploitation charges following an investigation that began with a narcotics interception and expanded into a broader probe involving online abuse, solicitation of minors, and the production of illegal material.

Rashad Rabah, 33, of Rochester, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the production, receipt, and possession of child pornography, offenses that carry a potential sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison, a lifetime term of supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000.

According to federal investigators, Rabah first came under scrutiny in August 2025 when he attempted to retrieve a package at the Jefferson Road Processing and Distribution Center in Henrietta, New York. The package, shipped from Arizona, was found to contain a significant quantity of fentanyl and was intercepted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Investigators conducted a controlled delivery operation, allowing Rabah to receive the package before taking him into custody.

During the arrest, authorities seized Rabah’s cellular phone. Subsequent forensic analysis, conducted pursuant to search warrants, revealed evidence of extensive illegal activity unrelated to the original drug investigation. Investigators identified material consistent with child sexual abuse imagery and communications suggesting direct exploitation of minors in the Rochester area.

Further examination by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force expanded the scope of the case. Court filings allege that between April 2022 and August 7, 2025, Rabah engaged in sexually explicit online and text-based communications with at least one identified minor victim. During these interactions, Rabah allegedly solicited the creation and transmission of explicit images and videos, offered financial payments to facilitate the abuse, and attempted to recruit additional minors in the Rochester region.

Investigators also allege that Rabah participated in an online forum hosted on a social media platform that was explicitly dedicated to the abuse and exploitation of children. Multiple search warrants were executed on Rabah’s digital accounts and residence as part of the investigation, reinforcing concerns that the activity was sustained, deliberate, and networked rather than isolated.

Rabah made an initial appearance in federal court before a U.S. magistrate judge and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for January 28, 2026. Prosecutors have indicated that the charges reflect only the current findings of the investigation, which involved coordination between federal agencies specializing in postal crimes, child exploitation, and digital forensics.

Authorities emphasized that the case illustrates how routine interdiction efforts targeting drug trafficking can uncover unrelated but severe criminal conduct, particularly where digital devices are involved. The investigation remains ongoing.

As with all federal cases, the criminal complaint represents formal allegations. Rabah is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

🔥 NOW AVAILABLE! 🔥

‎👉 Eclipsera – Apple Music

---

---

---

---

---