Man Pleads Guilty To Possessing Sexual Abuse Images Of Children: DA

SOUTHOLD, NY — A Southold man pleaded guilty Wednesday to 50 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

James Gaffga, 36, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 10 years of probation after he downloaded sexual abuse images and video of children, Tierney said.

Gaffga pleaded guilty to all 50 counts within the indictment, after he was found in possession
of a hard drive containing images and videos of children, some as young as 18 months of age,
being sexually abused, Tierney said.

According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on December 16, 2022, Gaffga was found in possession of at least 50 images and videos that depicted the sexual abuse and the lewd exhibition of children ranging in age from approximately 18 months to 10 years old. Gaffga admitted that he had viewed these images and videos and was aware of the nature and content of each of them, Tierney said.

On January 31, 2024, Gaffga pleaded guilty before County Court Judge Karen Wilutis to the entire indictment, which charged him with 50 counts of possessing a sexual performance
by a child, Class E felonies, Tierney said.

Following a pre-plea investigation by probation, Gaffga was sentenced to a split sentence of 60 days jail and 10 years of probation; Gaffga will have to register as a sex offender, Tierney said.

He was represented by Steven Politi. "Mr. Gaffga is a good man, a loving son and has worked very hard to ensure that he never engages in this type of behavior again," Politi said. "Like all addictions and/or mental illnesses, this problem will only be eradicated through his continued therapy and desire to change."

He added: "Judge Wilutis, to her credit, took everything into consideration when she sentenced Mr. Gaffga. We are extremely grateful that she took into account the fact that James has been a law-abiding citizen and a good person his entire life except for this conviction and the fact that from the date of his arrest he has taken responsibility and vowed to fix the problem he admitted he had. James will prove to Judge Wilutis that the sentence she imposed was appropriate and show his gratitude through his compliance with probation. He will continue to work hard on his problem and not allow this conviction to define his life. Everyone wishes for fairness in our criminal justice system — and today Judge Wilutis proved that this is attainable even in cases that involve things that all healthy people believe are detestable. We are grateful to her and James will not disappoint the court."

"People like this defendant who support the sexual exploitation of minors through possession of child pornography have no place in Suffolk County," said Tierney. "My office will continue to partner with local and federal law enforcement officials to make sure that offenders who download and view child pornography are held accountable for their crimes."