A former Steuben County Sheriff’s deputy has admitted to possessing child pornography involving prepubescent minors, including at least one image of a minor under 12 years old. Stuart J. McHenry, 35, of Hornellsville, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced the plea agreement on Wednesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford said that McHenry knowingly possessed digital images of child pornography. The case began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip from the instant messaging application Kik about user “acman990” uploading approximately 24 files suspected to be child pornography. Investigators determined that about 22 of those files were indeed child pornography.
Authorities traced the account back to McHenry and found messages indicating he had sought, received, and distributed illegal material through the platform. Some content depicted violent acts and included the sexual exploitation of an infant.
At the time these offenses occurred, McHenry was employed as a deputy with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: New York State Police led by Major Kevin Sucher; the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm; and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office led by Sheriff Jim Allard.
Sentencing is set for January 6, 2026 at 10 a.m., before Judge Siragusa.
