Suspected child porn producer extradited from Ireland to US

A man extradited from Ireland to the US on Thursday has been accused by senior US law enforcement officials of abusing children for decades, "robbing them of the innocence all children deserve".

Daniel Mullan (80), a dual US-Irish citizen, was surrendered to US authorities on Thursday after nearly two years fighting his proposed extradition to America through the Irish courts.

He is facing trial in the Eastern District of New York on charges related to the sexual exploitation and transportation of a minor as well as the possession of child pornography.

Mr Mullan was arrested in Ireland on foot of a US extradition request in October, 2017, the day he finished serving a five-year prison sentence for abusing a young boy in Co Mayo in the 1990s. It was the then 75-year-old's first and only conviction for sexual offences in any jurisdiction.

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While he was in prison in Ireland, the FBI were alerted. His house in Elmont, New York, was searched and a "massive collection" of child pornographic material was allegedly seized.

The Supreme Court in Dublin rejected Mr Mullan's latest legal challenge on July 31st, and he was surrendered to US authorities on Thursday morning. He was arraigned before a US Federal Court on Long Island, New York, on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty.

In a joint statement sent to The Irish Times, Richard P Donoghue, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged that "Daniel Mullan victimised children here and abroad for decades by sexually abusing them and recording these acts . . . The protection of children is a priority of this office and the [US] department of justice. Those who exploit and victimise children will be identified and brought to justice."

Mr Donoghue thanked the FBI’s Long Island Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, comprising the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, for its investigative work and assistance in the case.

In the statement, New York FBI assistant director-in-charge, William F Sweeney jnr, said: "as alleged in the indictment, Mr Mullan has sexually abused children for decades, robbing them of the innocence all children deserve . . . The Long Island Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force along with the FBI's victim specialists are committed to identifying and providing assistance to all of Mr Mullan's victims. We are asking anyone who may have been a victim of Mr Mullan to call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI. We believe there are other children who were victimised and we would like to hear from them."

‘Horrifying crimes’

Suffolk County Police Department commissioner Geraldine Hart said Mr Mullan had "preyed on children" for years "robbing them of their innocence and he will now have to answer for his horrifying crimes".

Mr Mullan helped train one of America’s most famous racehorses, Secretariat, who became the first US Triple Crown winner in 25 years in 1973.

The New York native is described as a US resident but he has lived extensively in the Middle East and Europe for most of his life. Efforts were made to deport him from Ireland while he was still serving his sentence here, until it was determined that he holds Irish citizenship also.

According to US authorities, the FBI executed search warrants at Mr Mullan's residence in Elmont, New York, and his rental storage unit in Melville, and seized hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, in the summer of 2017.

Several videos allegedly depicted Mr Mullan engaged in sexual acts with teenage boys dating back to the early 1980s, according to US authorities.

Numerous victims were then allegedly identified, including a male juvenile with whom Mullan travelled in the US and abroad between 1999 and 2006 for the purpose of engaging in sex and recording it for himself and to sell to others, according to US authorities.