Former New York City councilman Daniel James Halloran was arrested at Miami International Airport for possession and transportation of child pornography after arriving on a flight from Cuba with a final destination in New York.
According to a report by Telemundo 51, agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspected Halloran's mobile phone and found a hidden folder containing at least 1,362 videos, many of which included child sexual exploitation material.
The officers also found a conversation in the Telegram app where Halloran was allegedly negotiating the purchase of this type of content.
During the interrogation, the former official admitted that the majority of the files were related to child pornography.
Halloran, 53 years old, was immediately arrested and first taken to the Broward County jail, and later to a federal detention center in Miami, where he remains in custody.
According to Local 10 News, Halloran is currently 54 years old and lives in the suburb of Floral Park, Long Island, New York, where he works as a diving instructor.
Images posted on her public Instagram account show that her recent trip to Cuba was linked to a diving expedition in the Jardines de la Reina National Park, on the southern coast of the island.
The case is being processed in a federal court in Miami. Halloran was admitted with the same federal inmate registration number: 68384-054.
A judge ordered his preventive detention, and he is expected to appear in a bail hearing on April 4, while his formal processing is scheduled for April 14.
The politician, affiliated with the Republican Party and representing the Queens district, served as a city council member in New York City from 2009 to 2013.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a bribery and corruption scheme, which included the attempt to facilitate a Democratic state senator's candidacy for mayor of New York as a Republican.
The bribes, as determined by the court at that time, were part of an FBI undercover operation.
Between February and March 2025, several cases of Cubans involved in serious crimes have come to light, reflecting a troubling reality within certain sectors of the diaspora.
One of the most shocking was that of Rubén Sánchez Martínez, sentenced to 13 years in prison in Arizona for human trafficking and possession of child pornography.
He entered the U.S. in 2022 under parole and was arrested in 2023. Authorities revealed that the operation was the result of a collaboration between the Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
Days later, the adult film producer Ignacio Allende Fernández, known as "Torbe", was arrested by the Spanish National Police at Madrid airport after arriving from Havana.
The arrest was prompted by a report from a young woman who claimed to have been deceived and held in Spain, where she allegedly fell victim to sexual abuse. The producer had already been convicted in 2023 for distributing sexual recordings involving minors.
In the United States, the Cuban community in Miami was shaken by the news of the arrest of a little league coach accused of sexually abusing a minor.
The arrest occurred after the child's mother reported the incidents, which had allegedly lasted for several years. The suspect was apprehended while attempting to flee and is facing charges of aggravated sexual assault.
In a similarly disturbing case, a Cuban couple living in Texas has been accused of committing sexual assault against their one-year-old daughter. Both parents confessed to the crime during separate interrogations and were arrested. The child has been placed under state protection.
Frequently asked questions about the detention of the former New York councilman in Miami
Why was Daniel James Halloran arrested at Miami Airport?
Daniel James Halloran was arrested at Miami International Airport for possession and transportation of child pornography. During an inspection, agents from the Customs and Border Protection found a hidden folder containing 1,362 videos of child sexual exploitation on his mobile phone.
What is the current status of the legal proceedings against Halloran?
The Halloran case is being processed in a federal court in Miami. He is in custody at a federal detention center and is scheduled to appear at a bail hearing on April 4, with formal proceedings set for April 14.
What was Halloran's relationship with politics in New York?
Daniel James Halloran was a councilman for New York City from 2009 to 2013. He represented the Queens district as a member of the Republican Party and was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2015 for his involvement in a bribery and corruption scheme.
What other recent cases of sexual offenses have been reported in the Cuban community in Miami?
Recently, a Little League baseball coach in Miami, Adrián Cotera, was arrested for possession of child pornography. Cotera faced 20 felony charges and was taken into custody following a cyber tip that linked his IP address to the downloading of illegal material. This case raises concerns about the safety of minors in the community.
Filed under:
