Newark Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that David Mullie, 49, of Newark, N.Y., pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and supervised release for life.         

        Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that a family member alerted police after finding sexually explicit photos on the defendant’s computer. Newark Police began an investigation and then notified Homeland Security Investigations for assistance. Federal agents executed a search warrant and seized several computers from Mullie’s home. A forensic analysis of the computers uncovered more than 600 images of children, including prepubescent children, being sexually abused.

       This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

       The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent In Charge James C. Spero, and Officers of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Chief David L. Christler.