Police

Southold Cops: Sex offender charged with child pornography, stealing $50K

While investigating child pornography found on a computer at a Southold business, town police said they discovered that two Mastic Beach men — registered sex offenders who worked there — had stolen about $50,000 from the business.

Joseph Wolm, 42, has been in custody at the Suffolk County jail in Riverside since late April, when the pornography was found and he was charged with a parole violation, according to Southold Police Detective Edward Grathwohl. He has been charged with a total of 27 felonies, including 25 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child.

Mr. Wolm and Ernesto Martinez, 56, were both charged with second- and third-degree grand larceny. While Mr. Martinez has not been charged with child pornography, his employment was terminated, police said. Police declined to provide the name of the business.

It was while police and parole officers were investigating the child pornography that they discovered Mr. Wolm and Mr. Martinez had been siphoning money from the company. Their employer had been unaware of the theft.

The men were indicted last week. While Mr. Wolm was already in custody, Mr. Martinez was picked up on the charges last night, according to the detective.

Both men are registered as level 2 sex offenders. Mr. Wolm was convicted in 2005 of sexual conduct against a child in the third degree, involving a boy less than 9 years old, and he was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Mr. Martinez was sentenced to five years in state prison after a 2009 conviction on a charge of second-degree sexual conduct against a child. The incident involving a child less than 11, according to the New York State Sex Offender registry.

The men are likely to be arraigned in Suffolk County Criminal Court Monday, according to the Suffolk DA spokesman. The police originally said the arraignment would be Friday.

Caption: Joseph Wolm, left and Ernesto Martinez. (Courtesy: Southold Town Police Department)

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