Under a plea agreement in December, John Delmarle agreed to a maximum sentence of 33 months for sending sexually explicit pictures of children via America Online. But U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca handed down a stiffer sentence on the basis of Delmarle's crime and previous pedophile convictions, the AP reported
Prosecutors said the pictures Delmarle transmitted in July and August 1994 portrayed "sadistic conduct" involving children under age 12. Under federal child protection laws, people who create, possess, or disseminate child pornography can get up to 10 years in prison.
Delmarle's case was the first time federal agents investigated alleged misuse of a nationwide online service, but the FBI arrested more than a dozen people in raids on more than 120 homes last August and September.
Delmarle was sentenced to three years' probation and six months of home confinement after his release and was barred from associating with minors or using a computer for anything other than employment purposes.
