Southold Man Charged With 50 Counts of Child Porn

A 36-year-old Southold man has been charged with having images and videos on his computer of children, some as young as 18 months of age, being sexually abused, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

A grand jury indicted James Gaffga on 50 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, if he is convicted.

“My office, along with the hard work and partnership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,  Southold Town Police Department, and the Suffolk County Police Department, conducted an  investigation into this defendant following a tip from the public,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. 

Authorities said Gaffga allegedly downloaded 50 images and videos from the internet that depict sexual abuse and the lewd exhibition of children ranging in age from approximately 18 months to 10 years old between November 23, 2022 and December 16, 2022.

Gaffga was indicted on February 21 and arraigned Friday before Suffolk County Court Judge Karen Wilutis, who ordered him to be released under the supervision of the probation department with GPS monitoring. He is due back in court on April 19. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.