Ithaca Resident Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Ithaca, New York, pleaded guilty in federal court on May 8, 2024, to charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Noah Oliver Fisch-Lewis, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, beginning on September 23, 2022, and continuing until October 8, 2022, Fisch-Lewis communicated with an undercover agent posing as the mother of a 10-year-old girl. During this period, Fisch-Lewis repeatedly expressed, in very graphic terms, his desire to engage in sexual activity with the minor. On October 8, 2022, Fisch-Lewis drove from upstate New York, to Erie, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with the purported 10-year-old, and was taken into custody upon his arrival at the agreed meeting place.

Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for October 1, 2024. The law provides for a maximum sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police, Erie Police Department, Millcreek Police Department, and Erie County Detectives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Fisch-Lewis.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.