Damian Quillinan, a 50-year-old resident of Broadalbin, New York, was sentenced to twelve years in prison for possessing an image of child sexual exploitation material. This offense occurred while he was under post-release supervision for previous child pornography offenses. The announcement was made by 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.
“One image is all it takes,” stated 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 commented: “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.”
In January, Quillinan pled guilty to possession of child pornography while serving a lifetime of supervised release due to prior convictions for receipt and possession of child pornography. He admitted to violating his supervised release terms by committing the new offense and possessing unauthorized internet-capable devices. According to court documents, Quillinan is a level 2 registered sex offender in New York from his 2017 convictions in the Northern District of New York.
After being released from incarceration on previous offenses in January 2024, Quillinan manipulated a video of a prepubescent minor obtained over the internet to create an explicit image that he possessed on a tablet until law enforcement seized it during a September 2024 search of his residence. U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentenced Quillinan to ten years for the new conviction plus two additional years for violating his supervised release terms.
Quillinan must also forfeit the tablet used in connection with the offense and serve twenty years of supervised release after leaving prison; he will continue registering as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the U.S. Probation Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse led by U.S Attorneys’ Offices alongside CEOS marshaling federal resources alongside state efforts locating apprehending prosecuting individuals exploiting children online identifying rescuing victims nationwide initiative fighting growing epidemic For more information visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
