Community Corner
Jay Sears Pleads Guilty to Porn Possession
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
Philanthropist Jay Lockett Sears of East Moriches, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley in U.S. District Court in Central Islip on Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Sears, 74, originally pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment on child pornography charges in March.
Sears, who owns the architectural firm Sears & Sears, has been living in an East Quogue condominium, was released on bail in February after he was charged in January after an FBI investigation. He has been on house arrest since.
The FBI said Sears, who ran the Quogue-based nonprofit organization, Mission of Kindness, allegedly took photos of young girls at Hamptons parties and local establishments and superimposed their headshots on pornographic materials.
“Sears victimized children by using their innocent faces to create child pornography. He then dragged them further into his aberrant fantasy world by adding his own images to these pictures. Such exploitation of children is one of our most important law enforcement priorities and will not be tolerated,” United States Attorney Lynch said in a statement to the media after Monday's plea.
Sears, who remains free on bail, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2014.
Parents who believe that their children may have been the victims of persons involved in child pornography should contact the Suffolk County Computer Crimes Squad at (631) 852-6279, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (631) 501-8600.
Related Reading:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
