Rylin Turley, age 27, of Cleveland, New York, was sentenced on October 21, 2026, to 37 months’ imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Anthony Patrone, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Rose M. Brophy, Director of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.
Turley was arrested in August 2024 as he crossed the border returning into the United States after spending the day in Canada. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers reviewed the contents of his phone and observed that it contained child pornography. As part of his prior guilty plea, Turley admitted that on his phone, he knowingly possessed 52 video files and 324 image files of child pornography. Turley admitted that in November 2023, he had purchased the child pornography files from another user he met on a social media messaging app. Turley further admitted that after he downloaded the files, he moved them into another app on his phone and accessed them shortly before his arrest.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone said, “Every image of child pornography represents a profound violation of a child’s dignity and a lasting betrayal of their innocence. This defendant’s conviction and sentence sends an important message: the U.S. Attorney’s Office, together with its investigative partners, will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that offenders like the defendant face serious consequences for their crimes.”
"The discovery of child sexual abuse material on Turley's cellphone shows how easily offenders can access and share this content online," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony J. Patrone of HSI Buffalo. “The exploitation of even one child is unacceptable and requires a coordinated, unwavering response. HSI Syracuse, with our law enforcement partners, will work relentlessly to apprehend and hold accountable those who exploit children.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also ordered Turley to pay a total of $18,500 in restitution to 4 victims of the offense.
HSI and CBP investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of New York — U.S. Department of Justice press release.