Richard Buffalo, 36, of Salamanca, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with enticement and attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene matter to an individual under the age of 16. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey T. Fiut, who is handling the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, in October 2020, the defendant began communicating with a minor female victim on the social media application Snapchat. Buffalo asked the minor victim if she wanted to have sex with him and offered to come pick her up. The minor victim advised the defendant that she was only 14 years old, but Buffalo persisted in his efforts to meet up with the minor victim. In November 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer, posing as the victim, began communicating with Buffalo on Snapchat and through text messaging. Believing the undercover officer to be the minor victim, the defendant asked if she wanted to have sex and requested that she send him nude images of herself. Buffalo also sent alleged nude images of himself to the undercover officer. The defendant later asked the undercover officer to meet in person, and the two agreed upon a time and place for the meeting. Buffalo arrived at the predetermined location and was taken into custody.
Buffalo made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and is being held pending a detention hearing on December 8, 2020.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Salamanca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Troy Westfall.