A Syracuse man was detained after appearing in federal court on a charge of receiving child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
Thomas Pennington, 57, appeared in court Oct. 2. A criminal complaint alleges he received the material on multiple electronic devices on or about Oct. 1, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Pennington admitted using the internet to find and download the files. The release did not report a conviction or a trial date.
If convicted of the receipt charge, Pennington faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. The charge also carries a possible fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of at least five years and as long as life; any sentence would be determined by a judge.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Vickey is prosecuting it under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative focused on child exploitation.
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