Federal authorities arrested an elderly East Moriches man they said cut-and-pasted faces of children he photographed in public into hundreds of adult pornographic images—some in which he added his own face.
Jay Lockett Sears, a 73-year-old high-profile architect, was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at Central Islip federal court after being charged with possessing child pornography. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
“Sears victimized countless children by using their innocent images to create child pornography,” said Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “He then went so far as to use his own image to virtually join in the exploited scenarios he created.”
Suffolk County police became aware of his case Jan. 11 when numerous bags containing hundreds of child porn images were found in trash removed from his apartment. The images were discarded in anticipation of Sears vacating his apartment.
Parents who believe that their children may have been the victims of child pornography should contact the Suffolk County Computer Crimes Squad at 631-852-6279 or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 631-501-8600.
