Southold man pleads guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials

A Southold man who owned a hard drive containing images and videos of children — some as young as 18 months old — being sexually abused plead guilty today to all 50 counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials.

James Gaffga, 36, has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and 10 years of probation after an investigation revealed he was in possession of at least 50 images and videos between late November and mid-December 2022 that portrayed “the sexual abuse and the lewd exhibition of children ranging in age from approximately 18 months to 10 years old,” according to a news release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

“People like this defendant who support the sexual exploitation of minors through possession of child pornography have no place in Suffolk County,” said District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “My office will continue to partner with local and federal law enforcement officials to make sure that offenders who download and view child pornography are held accountable for their crimes.” 

Mr. Gaffga, who was a former longtime employee at Southold IGA, admitted to viewing these images and videos, the Suffolk DA confirmed in the release.

In addition to his probation and jail sentence, Mr. Gaffga must register as a sex offender.