ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca Police Department helped launch a child pornography investigation into a Corning man after receiving a report that the man sexually abused a young teen and had a stash of illegal pornographic images involving children on his computer.
Kevin Theil, 54, was convicted of possession of child pornography and sentenced in late December to 30 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Officials said he had 367 of the illegal images on his laptop between 2013 and Dec. 16, 2016.
In November 2016, Ithaca police received a complaint from a woman who said she knew Theil had a sexual interest in children.
“Theil showed her naked images of young girls, approximately seven or eight years old, on his iPad. In addition, the…(woman) stated that Theil admitted to her that he had previously sexually abused…(a young teen) on multiple occasions when she was approximately 14 years old. The…(woman) further stated that on another occasion, Theil asked her to facilitate a sexual encounter with a minor female,” a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states.
According to reporting from the Star-Gazette, “In hopes of stealing money from Theil, the witness fabricated a story that she babysat a pair of sisters, an 8- and a 12-year-old, and Theil could have a “session” with the 12-year-old. The cooperative witness told law enforcement she had no intention of providing a female minor because “she found it inappropriate,” according to the news release.”
Related — CHILD PORN: Photos found on man’s laptop, police say
Officials said that warrants were executed on Theil’s Corning home and Hammondsport lake house on Dec. 15, 2016. Then, forensic examination of Theil’s computer revealed the images. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors and violence.
Investigators from the FBI, New York State Police, Ithaca Police Department, Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, and the Albany Division of the FBI all assisted in the investigation.