JACKSON HEIGHTS---An
attorney practicing from an office in Jackson Heights has been charged
by the Nassau County district attorney's Technology Crime Unit with
being an online predator and having sexually explicit conversations
with a person who he believed was a 14-year-old female.
Thomas Sheehan, 46, of 21
Stony Wood Road, East Setauket has been charged with two counts of
attempted disseminating indecent material to minors in the first
degree, a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison.
Prosecutors said that
Sheehan, while using the AOL screen name 'BRASAM8,' visited chatrooms
where he encountered an undercover investigator from the DA's office
who was acting in an undercover capacity as a 14-yea-old female. During
September and October, Sheehan allegedly engaged in multiple sexually
explicit conversations with this undercover investigator, and spoke
about sexual acts he wanted to perform with the undercover officer.
"During the course of
online conversations with the undercover, Sheehan talked about meeting
the 14 year old girl to engage in sexual activity," said DA Denis
Dillon. "Sheehan was, however, simultaneously conversing with New York
City undercovers and was arrested on that case when he met with an
undercover officer. This was after engaging in several sexually graphic
criminal conversations with our undercover."
"Criminality such as this
will not be tolerated by my office," said Dillon. "Matters such as this
are a priority of my office and that is why I created the Operation
Teensaver Program four years ago. We have again successfully
intercepted a would-be predator before he was able to make contact with
a vulnerable minor. Since we began Operation Teensaver, we have made 24
arrests. Those who prowl the Internet in search of young victims should
take this arrest as a stern warning: Either stop your predatory
behavior, or we will aggressively search you out and stop you before
you can harm our children."
10-28-05
© 2005 North Country
Gazette
