NYC Corrections officer from East Meadow charged with downloading child pornography, officials say

Fernando Clarke was tracked via a Department of Homeland Security investigation, records show

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An East Meadow man who works as a New York City corrections officer has been charged with downloading and sharing hundreds of files of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint in the U.S. Eastern District Court.

The files were allegedly found on the computer of Fernando Clarke, during an investigation by Department of Homeland Security agents between Feb. 16 and July 12 of this year, aiming to target online users who were actively sharing child pornography.

The investigators said they conducted the search using a publicly available peer-to-peer software, which allows downloaded videos to be shared easily online.

The complaint, written by agent Richard Branda, said he and other other law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant on Clarke's East Meadow home on July 28, where Clarke admitted to agents he downloaded child pornography, knowing it is illegal, but "did it to learn about juvenile victims for his job as a corrections department investigator," the complaint reads.

The complaint said that Clarke is an employee of the New York City Department of Corrections. Media reports said he worked at facilities on Riker's Island.

Clarke told investigators he watched the videos to learn "non-verbal gestures and behavior of victims," the complaint reads, and that he was not aware he was sharing the videos with other users, or how peer-to-peer file sharing worked.

The complaint was delivered to the Hon. Kathleen Tomlinson on July 29. An attorney for Clarke could not be immediately reached.