82-Year-Old Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Over One Million Images of Child Pornography

Looney had previously been convicted on a federal charge of possessing child pornography.

A Rochester man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge related to the transportation of obscene material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

John Douglas Looney, 82, admitted to using an internet-connected device to receive and distribute explicit images and videos between August 2018 and March 2019. Prosecutors say Looney possessed more than one million images of child sexual abuse material on three computers, including content involving prepubescent children and infants.

Looney had previously been convicted on a federal charge of possessing child pornography.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.