Buchanan man behind bars after taking sexually explicit photos of 6-year-old girl

A Buchanan man will sentenced to 24 years in a federal prison for taking sexually explicit photos of a 6-year-old girl at a party at his home.

Christopher Buono, 45, was sentenced today for one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography. He pled guilty in January and faced up to 40 years in prison for the crimes.

According to court documents, in January 2024, a party was hosted at the defendant’s home in Buchanan. At one point in the evening, Buono took the minor female to his game room, and either the minor victim or Buono pulled down her pants and underwear, exposing her genitals.

Buono then used his cellphone to take sexually explicit photographs of the minor victim.

Later that night, Buono used a messaging application to send one of these photos to another individual with a sexual interest in minors.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.