New York Corrections Officer Sentenced to 14 Years for Attempted Child Enticement

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington today sentenced Jude Thaddeus Danahy (35, Buffalo, NY) to 14 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a child for sexual activity. The Court also ordered him to forfeit the equipment he had used to commit the offense. Danahy pleaded guilty on August 27, 2014.

According to court documents, between June 2013 and July 2014, Danahy communicated via email and text messages with an undercover agent that he believed was the mother of an 11-year-old girl. Danahy responded to an online advertisement and expressed in graphic detail his desire to engage in sexual acts with the “child.” He repeatedly sent graphic messages to the “mom” and attempted to persuade and induce the “child’s” assent by sending her a princess dress. Danahy also repeatedly solicited pornographic images of the “child,” and he mailed the “mom” a digital camera so that she could send him images. Danahy was arrested on July 1, 2014.

“It is especially egregious when a person in a position of authority, like this corrections officer, attempts to victimize our children,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI will continue to aggressively pursue criminals who prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

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 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.