Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to A Total of Twelve Years for Possession of Single Image of Child Pornography While on Supervised Release for Prior Child Pornography Offenses

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Damian Quillinan, age 50, of Broadalbin, New York, was sentenced last week to a total of twelve years’ incarceration for possession of a single image of child sexual exploitation material while under post-release supervision for prior child pornography offenses.  United States Attorney John A. Sarcone, III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo, New York Field Office, made the announcement.

“One image is all it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Sarcone.  “We will relentlessly pursue justice against those who exploit children.  We thank the U.S. Probation Office and HSI for catching this sick individual and immediately putting him back where he belongs – in custody.”

HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said: "The defendant, a registered sex offender, exploited technology for his own perverse desires and explicit crimes. Together with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York and our law enforcement partners, HSI Albany will ​not stand idly by as child predators seek new ways to target our most vulnerable communities."

This past January, Quillinan pled guilty to possession of child pornography while serving a lifetime of supervised release for prior convictions for receipt and possession of child pornography and admitted to violating the terms of his supervised release by committing the new offense and by possessing unauthorized internet-capable devices.  According to the plea agreement and documents previously filed in the case, Quillinan is a level 2 registered sex offender in the State of New York, stemming from his 2017 convictions in the Northern District of New York for multiple counts of receipt and possession of child pornography. 

In January 2024, shortly after being released from incarceration on those offenses, Quillinan manipulated a video of a prepubescent minor he obtained over the internet to create a lascivious image of the minor’s genitalia, which he then possessed on a tablet until it was seized by law enforcement during a search of his residence in September 2024.  Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentenced Quillinan to 10 years’ incarceration for the new conviction and a consecutive sentence of 2 years’ incarceration for the violation of his supervised release.  Quillinan was also ordered to forfeit the tablet used in connection with the offense, to serve 20 years of supervised release following release from prison and will be required to continue to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by HSI with the assistance of the U.S. Probation Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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.