A Boonton New Jersey man has been sentenced to serve 5 years in federal prison for downloading images of child pornography on his personal computer.

In January, the 36-year-old suspect made a deal with federal prosecutors and pleaded guilty to charges of knowingly receiving images of child pornography over the Internet. According to authorities, the suspect admitted to downloading several hundred images of child sexual abuse on a computer at his residence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the suspect used a peer-to-peer file sharing network to access and then download the child pornography.

The suspect also reportedly admitted to possessing more than 600 images of child sexual abuse on personal computers and USB drives. While investigating the suspect, police officers seized the evidence of child pornography from the suspect’s home in Boonton Township, NJ.

The sex crime of downloading child pornography carries significant penalties. The suspect recently made an appearance in U.S. District Court in Newark NJ for a sentencing hearing. At the hearing, the district court judge sentenced the suspect to 5 years in federal prison. The suspect faces a possible penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

Additionally, the suspect was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term ends. This aspect of the sentence will likely include Megan’s Law sex offender registration requirements.

At the time of the suspect’s arrest, police officers reportedly seized a semiautomatic assault rifle, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, ammunition magazines, and body armor. However, the suspect avoided charges for weapons offenses in the case.

For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Man Who Had 600 Pictures of Child Sex Abuse Sentenced to 5 Years.”