DENVER – A former police officer was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing images of child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn, District of Colorado, announced the sentence. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Colorado Department of Adult Parole and the Denver Police Department.

David Delaney, 29, of Golden, Colorado, was also ordered pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim of his crime. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Delaney was remanded to custody of the United States Marshal Service. HSI Special Agent in Charge Steven W. Cagen joined in today’s announcement.

According to court records, the defendant’s plea agreement and publicly available employment information, Delaney was an officer with the Red Rocks Community College Police Department prior to his arrest. In June 2018, law enforcement officers in Colorado from four agencies independently discovered Delaney’s computer offering child pornography for distribution online via a file-sharing program. Each of these officers downloaded files from Delaney’s computer and confirmed that the files were images and videos of child exploitation, including many graphic videos of child sexual assaults.

On July 31, 2018, and Aug. 3, 2018, search warrants were executed by the Golden Police Department and HSI at Delaney’s residence. Delaney was not present during the search because he had been traveling internationally. Authorities seized electronic media, including an SD card that had been hidden in Delaney’s bedroom. The SD card revealed a deleted folder containing remnants of a video depicting the sexual assault of a minor girl by an adult man. Officers also discovered a shelf in Delaney’s bedroom that contained pictures depicting Delaney and a child, along with various notes and memorabilia involving Delaney and the child. Further investigation revealed that Delaney had access to another child. During the sentencing hearing, the Court found that Delaney had engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse of the second child and that he was grooming the first child for abuse.

On Aug. 6, 2018, Delaney returned to the United States and was found to be in possession of various electronic media which was searched pursuant to a federal search warrant. Child pornography as well as remnants of several file-sharing programs were found in deleted space on that media.

“These actions are reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “As a police officer, the defendant took an oath to uphold the law. Today, the law was upheld, and this defendant is held to account.”

“Plain and simple, this criminal’s disgusting actions stripped these victims of their innocence and dignity,” said Steven Cagen, special agent in charge of HSI Denver. “HSI special agents are highly skilled and trained to use the most advanced technology available to locate, identify and investigate these criminals. We aggressively work with community members and our law enforcement partners to rescue these innocent children and prosecute their exploiters.”

U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore pronounced the sentence. The case was investigated by HSI in collaboration with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Golden Police Department, the FBI, the Durango Police Department and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.

In fiscal year 2019, more than 3,500 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

This matter is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources."

For Internet safety information for educators, parents, and children alike, please visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians to learn about HSI’s iGuardian program.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.