Man pleads guilty to possession of child sexual abuse images: DA

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

James Gafga, 36, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 10 years of probation after downloading sexual abuse images and videos of children, Tierney said.

Gafga pleaded guilty to all 50 counts of the indictment after being found in possession of
a hard drive containing images and videos of children, some as young as 18 months old;
subject to sexual abuse, Tierney said.

According to the investigation and the defendant's admissions at his guilty plea, on December 16, 2022, Gaffga was in possession of at least 50 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse and indecent exposure of children as young as 18 months of age. up to 10 years. Gafga admitted he had seen those images and videos and knew the nature and content of each, 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 possession of a sexual representation.
by a child, Class E felonies, Tierney said.

After a preliminary investigation with probation, Gaffga was sentenced to concurrent terms of 60 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Gaffga will have to register as a sex offender, Tierney said.

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

He added: “Judge Wilutis, to her credit, took everything into account when sentencing 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 throughout his life except for this conviction and the fact that from the date of his arrest he took responsibility and promised to fix the problem he admitted to having. James will prove to Judge Wilutis that the sentence he imposed was appropriate and show his gratitude by complying with probation. He will continue to work hard on his problem and not allow this conviction to define his life. Everyone wants justice in our criminal justice system — and today Judge Wilutis proved that it is possible even in cases involving things that all sane people believe. We are grateful to her, and James will not disappoint the court.'

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