An Indian American has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he admitted that he had stored child pornography in a government computer.
Vinod G Patel, 49, an engineer in the state transport department in New York, was sentenced on Tuesday on two counts of possessing sexual performance by a child, according to reports.
He had pleaded guilty to the two counts September 21 last year.
"The defendant will now spend a lengthy time behind bars in which to comprehend that photos that depict sexual acts between adults and young children are in reality images of actual children who have been victimised and sexually exploited for no other purpose than to satisfy the prurient desires of sexual predators," a report in Newsday quoted Queens district attorney Richard Brown as saying in a statement.
Patel did general administration of contracts work for the state Department of Transportation office in Bayside, New York.
On March 2, 2006, a colleague of Patel discovered child pornography on a computer, Brown said.
According to the Newsday report, after obtaining a search warrant, police found in a computer folder belonging to Patel 10 files of children younger than 15 years engaged in sex acts. An 11th file allegedly showed a child younger than six years engaged in a sex act.
Though Patel himself did not engage in any of the sexual acts, he admitted having taken some of the photographs.
{{/usCountry}}Though Patel himself did not engage in any of the sexual acts, he admitted having taken some of the photographs.
{{/usCountry}}He resigned from his job April 4.