Jonathan DeLaura Sentenced To 485 Months In Prison For Possessing, Receiving, And Distributing Child Pornography And For Transferring Obscene Material To A Minor
Jonathan DeLaura
By Dan Murphy
The news last week from the US Attorney’s office was that Westchester resident Jonathan DeLaura had been sentenced to 485 months in prison in connection with the same sex crimes that he committed in 2009 and in 2011 makes some wonder whether our criminal laws against sex offenders are working to keep underage children safe.
DeLaura, 50, who had lived in Yorktown, pled guilty last yeare to receiving, distributing and possessing child pornography, sending obscene material to a fifteen-year-old boy, and sending that obscene material while being a person required by law to register as a sex offender.
DeLaura has served jail time on two other occassions before getting caught again sending explicit messages to a 15-year-old boy with whom he also engaged in sexual activity.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “DeLaura possessed large quantities of child pornography and took advantage of a fifteen-year-old child, all while he was required by law to register as a sex offender. This case underscores the urgent need for law enforcement to continue its efforts to protect children from those who prey on them. As yesterday’s sentencing demonstrates, we will use every tool available to prosecute and punish those who sexually exploit children.”
DeLaura has a long criminal record that dates back to 2009. According to Federal prosecutors,
On or about October 7, 2009, DELAURA was convicted, upon a guilty plea, of Sexual Misconduct: Engage in Oral/Anal Sexual Conduct Without Consent, in Bronx County Court. He was sentenced on December 16, 2009 to a term of 60 days’ in prison and six years’ probation, and he was required to register with the New York State Sex Offender Registry.
In December 2010, following DELAURA’s violation of probation, he was resentenced to a term of one year in prison. He was released from prison in April 2011.
From at least on or about May 5, 2011, through on or about May 10, 2011, DELAURA received and distributed files containing images and videos of child pornography, in Westchester County, using a file-sharing program.
In or about November 2011, DELAURA contacted a 15-year-old boy (the “Victim”) in an Internet chat room claiming to be a 17-year-old girl and using the screen name “sillyrabbit.” After an exchange of messages, DELAURA sent sexually explicit photographs to the Victim. Thereafter, DELAURA met the Victim on two occasions and engaged in sexual activity with him. On February 2, 2012, when DELAURA tried to meet the Victim for a third time to engage in sexual activity, he was arrested by officers of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department (“PCSD”). After DELAURA was arrested, a search warrant was executed at his residence and PCSD officers recovered an iPod, which contained approximately 162 videos containing images of child pornography and approximately 5 still photos of images containing child pornography. The iPod also contained the sexually explicit photographs DELAURA sent to the Victim.
On February 3, 2012, DELAURA was convicted of two counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the 3rd degree in Putnam County Court and sentenced to a term of 32 months to 8 years in prison. DELAURA completed that sentence on January 2, 2020, and has been incarcerated on the federal charges since then.
The fact that DeLaura was a registered sex offender in New York State did not stop him from committing the same sex crimes with underage victims again and again.
US Attorney Podolsky praised the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, the Yorktown Police Department, the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and the Edison Police Department in New Jersey in connection with this investigation.
