Suffolk County

NY Man Found With More Than 6 Million Child Pornography Images Lived by School: DA

The DA said the man collected and categorized the material meticulously, like a librarian

A New York man busted on Long Island with millions of child pornography images and videos was living right next to an elementary school, prosecutors say.

On Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced that a multi-agency investigation had resulted in the arrest of 58-year-old David Johnson, from Amityville, Long Island.

Sini said authorities seized more than 6.6 million images and video of children in the bust, with the content involving rape and the children ranging in age from infants to 18.

Authorities say it was the largest cache of child pornography ever recovered in Suffolk County. 

Johnson kept his collection, amassed from the dark web, on multiple devices including MP3 players, Sini said, where he curated them "like a librarian."

"There was a practice of him meticulously organizing these images and videos in labeled files with certain categorizations: by gender, race, age and by other characteristics such as whether the child victim is wearing glasses. This is obviously a sick individual," he said.

Johnson, who is divorced, was also living in a house where his back yard directly abutted the school field of Park Avenue Elementary School in Amityville.

"That's why it's very important the media gets this photo out there," Sini said.

He said the investigation was sparked by a concerned citizen, but he did not go into detail. The Amityville Village Police Department realized the severity of the crime and looped in Suffolk County and the FBI, leading to the arrest.

Prosecutors were seeking the maximum 10 to 20 years in prison for 200 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child. Bail was set at $150,000 bond or $75,000 cash. Johnson remains in custody but if he makes bail he will be ordered not to live near the school anymore.

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