Broome County Repeat Offender Sentenced to Over 18 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Crimes

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – James W. O’Brien, age 64, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 220 months in prison for transporting, receiving, and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett. 

In connection with his guilty plea on October 23, 2019, O’Brien admitted to uploading image files depicting child pornography on three separate occasions in June and July 2017. Search warrants executed on O’Brien’s electronic devices on May 31, 2018, revealed 650 images and 8 video files depicting the sexual exploitation of children.  These files included eight nude images of a female victim, whose identity is known to law enforcement, which O’Brien received through a text exchange with the victim.

The defendant was previously convicted in 2008 in Chenango County (New York) Court of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child less than 16 years of age, in violation of New York State Penal Law Section 263.16, and was sentenced to six (6) months in jail, to be followed by 10- year term of  probation.

Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, which will start after O’Brien is released from prison, and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 per victim for each of the three identified minors depicted in the images and videos that O’Brien transported, received, and possessed.  As a result of his conviction, O’Brien will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sahar L. Amandolare.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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 better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.