Gagnon pleads not guilty to child-porn charges

By DAN HEATH
Staff Writer

July 07, 2009 06:53 pm

— PLATTSBURGH — Raymond “Foxy” Gagnon pleaded not guilty to charges related to his arrest for alleged possession of child-pornography images.
Gagnon made his plea at an arraignment held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Larry Kudrle at the Clinton County Jail Tuesday afternoon. He is being represented by Daniel Stewart, an attorney with Queensbury-based Brennan and White LLP.
Stewart said Gagnon was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
The case will next be heard before U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe in U.S. District Court in Albany. Motions are scheduled to be heard on Aug. 4, and the trial is scheduled to start Sept. 7.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York is handling the prosecution.
The investigation stemmed from the 2006 arrest of Sergio Marzola, an Italian arrested for production and distribution of child pornography. Gagnon is alleged to have purchased images from an illegal Web site operated by Marzola.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials earlier said they found hundreds of images of child porn after Gagnon consented to a search of his home computer.
A criminal affidavit states Gagnon admitted to viewing, purchasing and distributing child pornography, although he is only charged with viewing and purchasing those images. He reportedly told authorities he viewed the images for personal sexual gratification.
Gagnon was arrested June 19. He was in custody until June 23, when he was released with conditions that included electronic monitoring and computer-use restrictions.
A teacher, Gagnon retired from Stafford Middle School in 2005. He occasionally served as a substitute teacher there and at other schools before his arrest.
After his retirement, he was well known for videotaping hundreds of events for broadcast on Charter Cable Access television. Gagnon also wrote a blog, “On the Sly,” for the Press-Republican that has since been suspended pending the outcome of the case.

E-mail Dan Heath at:
dheath@pressrepublican.com