Kingston man distributed child porn,

Thomas O’Bryan, 38, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors.

ALBANY, N.Y. » A Kingston man charged with distributing child pornography using a smartphone messaging application made an appearance in federal court this week, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Thomas O’Bryan, 38, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

Particulars about O’Bryan’s court appearance were not immediately available. If convicted, he faces at least five to 20 years in federal prison and five years of post-release supervision.

O’Bryan was charged in a Sept. 22 criminal complaint with distributing child pornography, and he will be held pending a second hearing scheduled for Friday, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The complaint alleges that on or about March 19 and April 9, O’Bryan used the Kik app to distribute child pornography.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the state police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney

Rachel Williams.

O’Bryan is represented by Tim Allen of the federal office of the public defender for the Northern District of New York.

Anyone with additional information about O’Bryan may contact the FBI’s Albany Field Office at (518) 465-7551.

The case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, go to www. justice.gov/psc.