Bloomfield Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Thomas Burlingame, 31, of Bloomfield, New York, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge David G. Larimer. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that Burlingame used his computer to access and distribute child pornography over the Internet for approximately seven years. In February, 2011, special agents executed a search warrant and seized a computer from the defendant’s home. A forensic analysis revealed graphic images, some involving victims as young as 8 years old.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The plea is the result of a investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Larimer.