Former New York Police Chief Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Possession

A former police chief in Mount Pleasant pleaded guilty to downloading hundreds of images of child pornography while on the job.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A former police chief in Mount Pleasant, New York pleaded guilty to downloading hundreds of images of child pornography while on the job, US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement on Monday.

“By his guilty plea to downloading and possessing child pornography, Brian Fanelli, a former police chief who swore to protect and serve, admitted to a crime that victimizes and exploits some of the most vulnerable in our community,” Bharara said.

Fanelli, 56, allegedly downloaded more than 120 files containing images and videos believed to be child pornography between October 2013 and January 2014, according to court documents.

Fanelli resigned as police chief of the Mount Pleasant Police Department in March 2014 following his arrest two months earlier. Mount Pleasant is located approximately 25 miles north of New York City.

Prosecutors said undercover agents used peer-to-peer file sharing programs to download the images from the shared folder of Fanelli computer.

Fanelli faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine, the prosecutors added.

Child pornography prosecutions in the United States have increased 40 percent between 2006 and 2011, according to the US Department of Justice.