FORT COVINGTON — A Canadian man faces federal charges that he possessed child pornography at the international border crossing here Monday.

Gerald Aumis, 56, Chateauguay, Quebec, was charged by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with sexual exploitation and other abuse of children. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Buffalo office, Mr. Aumis advised a CBP officer at the crossing that he was heading to a hotel to conduct a week-long seminar on health and safety. After he was referred to a secondary inspection of his vehicle, it is alleged that officers found two laptop computers and a case containing 78 DVDs that were hand-labeled with what appeared to be pornographic titles.

A review of the material revealed suspected child pornography images and CBP called in ICE agents, who confirmed the material was child pornography. Mr. Aumis was taken into custody by ICE for further investigation and prosecution by the U.S. attorney's office.