Manlius Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Gladney, age 41, of Manlius, New York, pled guilty today to multiple charges of possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Gladney admitted that he possessed thousands of videos and images of child pornography on several of his personal devices. Gladney has a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in Texas.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2024, before United States District Glenn T. Suddaby.  Gladney faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life, to begin after imprisonment. Gladney will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

HSI, the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit, and the Auburn Police Department investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Thomson prosecuted Gladney as part of Project Safe Childhood. 

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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.