Lackawanna Man Pleads Guilty to Chatting with 14-Year-Old Boy on Snapchat, Sharing Child Porn Online

A Lackawanna man has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Maxwell H. Gawley, 34, admitted to the charge before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The offense carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years.

According to prosecutors, Gawley engaged in explicit conversations via Snapchat with a 14-year-old boy in August 2022, requesting images and discussing potential in-person contact. In September 2022, he shared explicit images and videos with another individual online.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8, 2025.