David Hullihen, age 41, of Syracuse, has pled guilty to 10 counts of receipt of child abuse materials.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Hullihen admitted that he sent multiple videos depicting child sexual abuse material to another person over the application Wire. Hullihen also possessed child sexual abuse material on his cell phone.
Hullihen is a registered sex offender with two previous convictions for child pornography offences in New York.
The offences to which Hullihen pled guilty carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, with a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
However, if Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes accepts the parties’ agreed-upon disposition at sentencing on April 23, 2025, Hullihen will receive a prison term of 235 months.
Hullihen’s sentence must also include a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of between five years and life, a fine of up to $250,000.00, restitution to the children whose images he distributed and possessed, and he will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
