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LONG ISLAND---The Rev. Thomas G. Saloy, an administrator of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Roosevelt, has been federally charged with possession of child pornography.
The complaint alleges that in September 2005, FBI agents executed a search warrant in the Milwaukee, Wis., area in connection with an investigation into child pornography trading via America Online (AOL). Subsequent forensic examination of seized computer equipment revealed numerous child pornography images, as well as e-mail messages with other AOL screen names relating to the exchange of child pornography. One of those e-mail messages had been sent to an AOL screen name used by Saloy and contained three still image files, which appeared to depict sexually explicit images of male children. Thereafter, detectives from the Suffolk County Computer Crimes Unit, working with the FBI as part of a Project Safe Childhood Task Force, began an investigation of Saloy.
In September 2006, an undercover detective, posing as a 16-year-old boy, was contacted by Saloy, 45, in an AOL chat room. Following a sexually related conversation, Saloy requested that the detective send him a child pornography image. In October 2006, Saloy again contacted the detective in an AOL chat room and repeated his request.
On Nov. 9, a search warrant was executed at the rectory residence of Saloy, located adjacent to the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church, in Roosevelt. At that time, Saloy admitted to law enforcement agents that he visited AOL chat rooms and requested and received sexually explicit images of teenagers 15 to 16 years old, and that he occasionally received images of very young children, which he said he deleted. He further stated that he went on-line posing as a 15-year-old to engage other 15-year-olds in sexual conversations. A subsequent forensic search of computer equipment belonging to Saloy revealed images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
If convicted of the charge, Saloy faces a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
"Child pornography continues to victimize children long after the images are created," stated U.S. Attorney Roslyn Mauskopf. "Consumers of child pornography should be on notice that the anonymity of the Internet will not shield them from law enforcement."
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mark Mershon stated, "Possession of child pornography is criminal because it is the demand side in a supply-and-demand market. The supply side is not just re-circulated dirty pictures. It is the creation and provision of new images all the time to feed the demand, and therefore the exploitation and victimization of an increasing number of children. We are committed to protecting children from anyone who is complicit in this victimization."
In February, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from on-line exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 11-20-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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