U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman | U.S. Department of Justice
David Hullihen, a 41-year-old resident of Syracuse, has entered a guilty plea to ten counts of receiving child pornography. This development was announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Hullihen admitted during his plea that he distributed multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material using the application Wire. Additionally, he was found in possession of such material on his cell phone. Hullihen is a registered sex offender with two prior convictions related to child pornography offenses in New York.
The charges against Hullihen carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could lead to a maximum imprisonment term of 40 years. The final sentence will be determined by a judge based on statutory guidelines and other factors. However, if Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes approves the agreed-upon disposition at sentencing scheduled for April 23, 2025, Hullihen will face a prison term of 235 months. His sentence will also include supervised release ranging from five years to life, potential fines up to $250,000, restitution to victims whose images were distributed or possessed by him, and registration as a sex offender upon release.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force alongside police departments from Tiffin, Ohio; Syracuse, New York; and the New York State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck led the prosecution under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood was initiated in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. It aims to utilize federal, state, and local resources effectively to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
