Child porn charges for Southold man, Suffolk DA says

A Southold man was found in possession of a hard drive containing pictures and videos of children, some as young as 18 months of age, being sexually abused, Suffolk prosecutors said.

James Gaffga, 36, was arraigned Friday and charged with 50 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony. He pleaded not guilty.

County Court Judge Karen Wilutis ordered Gaffga to be released under the supervision of the Suffolk Probation Department with GPS monitoring — the most restrictive option available to the court under the current bail law, authorities said.

Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said an investigation was launched by his office, along with Suffolk and Southold Town police departments and the FBI, following a tip from a member of the public.

"I urge anyone who is aware that child pornography [is] being produced, downloaded, or traded, to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office immediately," Tierney said. "Law enforcement is fully committed to holding individuals who contribute to the sexual exploitation of innocent children accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Despite the danger that this defendant presents and the number of charges he is facing, our bail statutes do not allow my office to ask for bail."

Steven Politi, Gaffga's Central Islip-based defense attorney, said his client is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

"The allegations here are that, at some point, images were downloaded off the internet," Politi said. "Whether or not that's true remains to be seen. … We're interested in continuing our investigation into this. They are E felonies. They're nonviolent allegations. And we're prepared to fight each and every element and each and every aspect of the case."

Between Nov. 23 and Dec. 16 last year, Gaffga downloaded 50 images and videos from the internet depicting sexual abuse and the lewd exhibition of children ranging in age from approximately 18 months to 10 years old, investigators said.

Gaffga is due back in court on April 19. He is facing 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison on each count if convicted.

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By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.