Nicholas Feminella, Child Pornography, New York 2017

A disturbing case of child exploitation has come to light in New York, where a former Ithaca College student has pleaded guilty to transporting and possessing child pornography.

Nicholas Feminella, 21, of Ithaca, New York, admitted to uploading videos of child pornography from his computer to a Drop Box account. The disturbing images and videos were discovered by investigators during a search of Feminella’s residence on November 3, 2015.

The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police-Computer Crime Unit, and the New York State Police, Troop C, found thousands of images and hundreds of videos depicting child pornography. Feminella’s guilty plea comes as a relief to authorities, who are working tirelessly to combat the scourge of child exploitation.

As part of his plea deal, Feminella faces at least five years of imprisonment and up to 20 years of imprisonment on the transportation count and up to 20 years of imprisonment on the possession count. Sentences of imprisonment may be concurrent or consecutive at the discretion of the Court.

The Court will also impose a term of supervised release of between five (5) years and life, and Feminella will be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for September 11, 2017 in Albany, New York.

This case is a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance in the fight against child exploitation. The public is urged to report any suspicious activity to the authorities immediately.

Launched in May 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a major initiative to combat child exploitation. The program marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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