A former deputy with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office has been sentenced to 108 months in federal prison after being convicted of possessing child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, who also ordered 10 years of supervised release for Stuart J. McHenry, 35, of Hornellsville, New York.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, McHenry knowingly possessed digital images depicting child pornography. At least one image involved minors under the age of 12.
The investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip from Kik, an instant messaging application. The tip indicated that the user “acman990” had uploaded about 24 files suspected to be child pornography. Authorities determined that approximately 22 of these files met the legal definition of child pornography.
Further inquiry linked the Kik account to McHenry and uncovered messages showing he sought, received, and distributed illegal content to other users. Some of the material found included videos and images showing violent acts, including one depicting sexual exploitation of an infant.
At the time these offenses occurred, McHenry was employed as a deputy with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office.
"U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Stuart J. McHenry, 35, of Hornellsville, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 108 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa."
