Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Eric Levi, a lawyer residing in Long Island City, Queens, has been charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child, possessing child sexual abuse images and other crimes.

District Attorney Katz said, “As alleged, the defendant downloaded and viewed numerous images of nude prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adult males on his computer in his home. These images of youngsters aren’t just pictures, but crime scene photos of children being abused. The defendant, a member of the bar, certainly should have known that his alleged actions were criminal.”

Levi, 61, of 45^th Street, was arraigned last night before Queens Criminal Court Judge Denise Johnson on a 1,542-count criminal complaint. The defendant is charged with 514-counts each of promoting a sexual performance by a child, promoting a sexual performance by a child as a sexually motivated felony and possessing a sexual performance by a child. Judge Johnson ordered the defendant to return to Court on March 25, 2022. Levy faces seven years in prison if convicted.

According to the charges, said DA Katz, a police officer conducting an online investigation using specialized software identified an IP address that allegedly received approximately 50 files of material considered to be child sexual abuse images. A subpoena for the internet provider of the IP address, identified the user as defendant Levy with his home address and apartment number.

The DA continued that a Court-authorized search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence early this morning where police recovered an Apple computer, a USB storage unit and an iPhone. A detective performed a forensic preview of material on the defendant’s computer and found more than 10 images of children between the ages of 6 and 8 naked and revealing their genitals. The defendant admitted to pleasuring himself to the images and blamed COVID as he was lonely during the pandemic.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Ralfi Hernandez of the Special Investigations Division of the New York City Police Department with the assistance of Detectives Anthony Rodriguez and Necodemus Supangkat of the Special Investigations Unit of the NYPD.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Trager, Section Chief of the DA’s Cyber Crime Unit within the Major Economic Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Mary Lowenburg, Bureau Chief, Catherine Kane, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, Jonathan Scharf, Deputy Bureau Chief, Hana Kim, Assistant Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave.