Orlando, Florida
U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. sentenced John Robert Cooney, 54, to 12 years in federal prison for receiving images of children being sexually abused using an online social media application, officials stated.
The court also ordered Cooney, of Orlando, to register as a sex offender and forfeit the electronic devices that he used to commit this offense, according to authorities.
Cooney pleaded guilty on March 15.
According to court documents, on July 7, 2020, Cooney, a former attorney and therapist, received images depicting children as young as 1-2 years old being subjected to sadistic sexual abuse using a popular online messaging app.
On August 21, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cooney’s home and seized several computers and electronic devices.
A forensic review of Cooney’s devices revealed more than 1,800 images and 2,400 videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
In addition to receiving these images, Cooney was also trading and exchanging online cloud storage links to collections of child sexual abuse materials with other users on this mobile app.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.