SYRACUSE, NY – Nicholas Feminella, 21, of Ithaca, New York, has confessed to a sickening crime: trafficking and possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The former Ithaca College student pled guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, effectively admitting to the deliberate spread of horrific material.
United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the guilty plea, a grim milestone in a case that highlights the dark underbelly of internet exploitation. Feminella, already detained, now faces a minimum of five years behind bars, with the potential for up to 20 years on each count – a total of 40 years for his depraved actions.
The investigation, which began in late 2015, revealed the extent of Feminella’s depravity. A search of his Ithaca residence on November 3, 2015, uncovered a digital hoard of thousands of images and hundreds of videos explicitly depicting the abuse of children. Feminella admitted to uploading this material to a Drop Box account, actively transporting the illegal content and spreading it further.
Beyond immediate imprisonment, Feminella will also be subject to a term of supervised release ranging from five years to life following his incarceration. Crucially, he will be required to register as a sex offender, a lifelong mark of shame and a necessary measure to protect potential future victims. The judge will determine the final sentence based on federal guidelines and the specifics of the case.
This case was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police-Computer Crime Unit, and New York State Police, Troop C. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown is prosecuting the case, bringing a determined focus to the pursuit of justice for the children harmed by Feminella’s actions.
The prosecution of Feminella is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006. This project, led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), pools federal, state, and local resources to dismantle online child exploitation networks and rescue victims. Sentencing is scheduled for September 11, 2017, in Albany, New York. Further information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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