Cars drive by Departures at Miami International Airport on Nov. 21, 2024, in Miami. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A former New York City councilman who once did time in federal prison in a bribery scheme has been arrested on child pornography charges in Miami.
Daniel James Halloran, 53, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Saturday on charges of possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography.
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WATCH HEREAccording to a criminal complaint, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched Halloran's iPhone as he arrived at the airport and found several videos of child pornography in a hidden folder.
At least 35 videos showed young children performing various sex acts, the complaint said.
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A CBP officer also found a text conversation on Telegram that indicated Halloran had purchased child pornography, the complaint said.
In all, authorities found 1,362 videos stored in the hidden folder, and Halloran told officers around two-thirds to three-quarters of the videos depicted child pornography, the complaint said.
Records showed Halloran, who had stopped at MIA after arriving on a flight from Cuba on his way to New York, was booked into the Broward County jail before he was moved to federal detention in Miami.
Halloran had been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison back in 2015 for his part in a scheme to help a Democratic state senator run for mayor as a Republican.
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In addition to the bribery and fraud conviction Halloran, a Queens Republican, was also convicted of taking payoffs from what he thought were developers who wanted him to funnel city money to them. The men were actually working for the FBI.
Halloran had been elected to the New York City Council in 2009 and served until 2013, when he was arrested.
