Norman Kelly, a 69-year-old resident of Albion, New York, was sentenced on Mar. 30 to serve 144 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
The case underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to investigate and prosecute crimes involving the exploitation of minors.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins, Kelly arrived at the Port of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan on October 20, 2023 after a flight from Incheon, South Korea. During an inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers, Kelly removed a cell phone from his pocket and had with him a computer bag containing a laptop and four USB thumb drives. Officers authorized an examination of these devices due to his nervous behavior and inconsistencies in his travel story.
A search revealed what appeared to be suspected child pornography on the devices. Further investigation determined that between March 12 and September 20, 2023, Kelly used his laptop computer to entice minors into sexually explicit behavior so he could receive images over the internet. On March 12, he received a sexually explicit image of a female child estimated to be between ten and twelve years old; on July 20 he received a video file depicting an infant female estimated at one-and-a-half to three years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Authorities reported that Kelly possessed approximately 475 image files and 377 video files containing child sexual abuse material; some depicted violence against children.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations under Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan’s direction with additional assistance from Customs and Border Protection as well as Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit.
