John Kelly, an 82-year-old resident of Rome, New York, has pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography. According to the announcement by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Kelly admitted to conspiring with Richard Hockersmith in August 2022 to exchange child pornography.
The guilty plea includes admissions that Kelly and Hockersmith exchanged child pornography through mailing an SD card. Additionally, during a search of Kelly's residence on February 23, 2024, authorities found images and videos of child pornography on his laptop. Hockersmith had previously pleaded guilty on December 10, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone emphasized the commitment to prosecuting such offenses: “We will find and prosecute those who distribute child pornography in the Northern District of New York... Justice has been served, but our work continues.”
Kelly's sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2025, in Albany before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. He faces a potential prison term ranging from five to twenty years, supervised release between five years and life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Restitution payments to victims are also expected as part of his sentence.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations with support from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is handling the prosecution under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative targeting child sexual exploitation nationwide by combining resources at federal, state, and local levels to address these crimes effectively.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood: https://www.justice.gov/psc