New York man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A New York man pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. This investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

David Helander, 64, of Brighton, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2012.

According to court documents, Helander received more than 600 images of child pornography over the Internet and possessed those images on digital media he owned, including computers, hard drives and removable media. The images included prepubescent children as well as depictions of violence against children.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or NCMEC's CyberTipLine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring is prosecuting this case on behalf of the U.S. government.