NYS parole officer Colin Kowlessar, of Freeport, indicted on possessing child sexual abuse material, prosecutors say

A state parole officer from Freeport admitted to federal agents that he had paid for and possessed child sexual abuse material after being stopped at Kennedy Airport on a return trip from Guyana, according to a new federal indictment.

Colin Kowlessar, 53, who is also a licensed psychotherapist, was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection agents on Feb. 27, and voluntarily handed over his cellphone and laptop with the passwords for both, according to an affidavit by Homeland Security Special Agent Iana Gutnick.

The cellphone had three videos of prepubescent girls involved in sexually explicit acts, the agent, who searched the device, said. Kowlessar was part of a Telegraph app group chat labeled "Caribbean exposed channel" through which he appears to have obtained the videos, according to a federal charging document.

After searching the phone, the federal agent found archived chats labeled "Underworld VIP" with the number 18 crossed out in red, which the agent said often refers to child sexual abuse material.

Federal agents arrested Kowlessar, a naturalized citizen originally from Guyana, in February at the airport, but he was released on $250,000 bond.

Kowlessar advertises psychotherapy online for adults and children, but his lawyer said he does not have any minor clients.

Federal Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi ordered during his bail hearing that he not take on any new child clients, but allowed him to continue seeing his adult clients. The judge also ordered him to surrender his service weapon that he has as part of his parole officer duties.

Kowlessar, a four-year veteran state parole officer, making $118,000 a year, has been on administrative leave since early March, a week after his arrest, according to the state correction agency. At the outcome of the federal case, he will probably be suspended and fired, according to spokesman Thomas Mailey. 

Kowlessar’s lawyer, Richard Langone, said this was an isolated incident.

"He’s a good guy, I met his family and been in his home," Langone said. "I believe that this is a big accident. He’s never had an issue like this before in his life. He may have gone on a site just as a curiosity. He’s never done it before and hasn’t done it since. I think this is a very unfortunate circumstance and you should watch what websites you go on because you never know where you'll end up."

Langone said Kowlessar, who is married with two children, is a "pillar of his community and a churchgoing guy."

"He’s devastated by this," the lawyer said. "His family is devastated by this."

Kowlessar is scheduled to be arraigned on the child sexual abuse material possession charges next week.