NY Man Faces Child Pornography Charges After Border Search

Thomas D. O'Brien, a 65-year-old resident of Henrietta, New York, has been arrested and charged with the production and possession of child pornography, according to the U. S.

Attorney's Office. O'Brien, a level two registered sex offender, faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years if convicted. The charges also carry a potential lifetime period of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

O'Brien's legal troubles began following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in January 2026. The tip, originating from Instagram, reported that child pornography had been exchanged in a messenger chat room named "Tom & You Gay." The files were received by an Instagram account linked to O'Brien, identified as "bom4bym." Subsequent investigations by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office led to the execution of search warrants on O'Brien's Instagram accounts, which uncovered images and videos of child pornography.

Further investigation revealed that O'Brien had traveled between Henrietta and Vietnam, with address changes filed with the Sheriff's Office in October 2025 and June 2026. During a border search conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on June 4, 2026, agents found nude images of minors on O'Brien's electronic devices. A forensic examination confirmed that three out of four devices contained child pornography.

On September 15, 2026, HSI and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at O'Brien's residence in Henrietta. They discovered photo albums containing hundreds of photographs of apparent minors, mostly of Asian descent, in various stages of undress. These images date back to approximately 2013.

O'Brien's criminal history includes a prior conviction for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree involving a nine-year-old male victim, which contributes to the severity of the current charges. The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The charges against O'Brien are allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The authorities are continuing their investigation and have urged anyone with information regarding the case to contact the HSI Tipline.