Priest on Administrative Leave Arrested on Federal Child Exploitation Charges Following International Investigation

BUFFALO, New York — A former priest with the Diocese of Buffalo has been arrested on federal charges alleging the receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material following an investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and international law enforcement partners.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, New York, was arrested after a federal criminal complaint charged him with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Under current federal law, the receipt charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years, if convicted.

Because the charges are contained in a criminal complaint, they remain allegations at this stage of the proceedings. Nowak is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

According to court documents, the investigation dates back several years.

Federal prosecutors state that in August 2019, Nowak, who was serving as a priest within the Diocese of Buffalo, was placed on administrative leave while church officials investigated allegations involving inappropriate contact with children and the alleged harassment of a seminarian. Those allegations were separate from the federal criminal investigation that later followed.

Investigators allege that in December 2019, an email account associated with Nowak was identified as having accessed a cloud-based file hosting service located in New Zealand that allegedly contained images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

The FBI opened an investigation into the email account in 2021 and obtained a federal search warrant to examine the associated digital records. According to prosecutors, investigators did not locate child sexual abuse material during that stage of the investigation, and the case was subsequently closed in July 2023.

The investigation was later revived after new intelligence emerged through an international child exploitation investigation.

According to the criminal complaint, in late 2025, the FBI’s Criminal Division Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Section, specifically the Child Exploitation Operational Unit (CEOU), received information from law enforcement authorities in Scotland regarding an online Telegram group whose members allegedly participated in Zoom video calls during which child sexual abuse material was viewed and shared.

Federal investigators allege that one participant in those online activities used the screen name “PigBoy666,” which investigators later linked to Nowak.

Based on that information, the FBI Buffalo Field Office reopened its investigation in March 2026.

On July 8, 2026, federal agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at Nowak’s residence in Lackawanna. During the search, investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a cellphone, laptop computer, iPad, USB storage device, and suspected narcotics.

According to prosecutors, an initial forensic examination of the seized devices, including the USB storage device, allegedly revealed multiple folders containing videos identified as child sexual abuse material.

Digital forensic examinations often continue long after search warrants are executed, allowing investigators to recover deleted files, examine internet activity, identify communications, determine when files were accessed or transferred, and establish whether additional online accounts or individuals may be connected to an investigation.

Federal child exploitation investigations frequently involve extensive cooperation among domestic and international law enforcement agencies because online platforms, cloud storage services, encrypted messaging applications, and digital communications often span multiple countries and legal jurisdictions.

The charges against Nowak involve the receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material, offenses that federal authorities consider among the most serious child exploitation crimes because every image or video represents the documented abuse of an actual child. Federal investigators have repeatedly emphasized that individuals who receive, possess, or distribute this material contribute to the continued victimization of children by sustaining demand for its production and circulation.

Nowak is scheduled to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York State Police, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

As the investigation continues, authorities will analyze the electronic evidence recovered during the search to determine whether additional criminal conduct occurred and whether any other individuals may have been involved. Federal prosecutors have not announced any additional charges at this time.

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