Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts of Los Angeles, California and the U.S.

March 28, 2007

Former college dean sentenced to 5 years for possession of child pornography Defendant also ordered to pay restitution to child abuse prevention center

SAN FRANCISCO - A former dean at a Bay Area university was sentenced today to 63 months in prison and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center for possessing more than 5,500 images of child pornography.

William T. Garner, 67, was sentenced this morning to charges arising out of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative.

Garner, a former dean at the University of San Francisco (USF), pleaded guilty in December 2006, to a single count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, Garner possessed more than 5,500 images containing child pornography obtained over the Internet, including images of prepubescent minors and images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.

"Crimes that harm children are a primary target of law enforcement," said United States Attorney Scott Schools. "We will continue to protect the children in our communities by vigorously prosecuting individuals possessing these images. That is our commitment."

Garner, who retired in 2006 as a professor in the School of Education at USF, was also the co-founder and director of USF's Center for Instruction and Technology. He has been instructed to report to prison by June 18.

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CALIFORNIA CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

JOSEPH SHEMARIA

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Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts of Los Angeles, California and the U.S.