Damian Quillinan, a 50-year-old from Broadalbin, New York, has been sentenced to twelve years in prison for possessing an image of child sexual exploitation material while on supervised release for prior offenses. This was announced by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Buffalo, New York.
“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.”
Special Agent Keegan emphasized the collaboration with law enforcement partners: “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.”
Quillinan pled guilty in January to possession of child pornography while serving a lifetime supervised release for previous convictions related to receipt and possession of such material. He admitted violating his supervised release terms by committing the new offense and possessing unauthorized internet-capable devices.
Quillinan is classified as a level 2 registered sex offender due to his 2017 convictions in the Northern District of New York for multiple counts related to child pornography.
In January 2024, after being released from incarceration on previous charges, Quillinan manipulated a video obtained online to create an inappropriate image of a minor’s genitalia. The image was discovered on a tablet seized 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 and an additional two years for violating supervised release conditions. He must also forfeit the tablet used in connection with the offense and serve twenty years of supervised release following imprisonment while continuing to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by HSI with help from the U.S. Probation Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative combating child sexual exploitation.
