A Fayetteville man was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday following a child pornography investigation that began last May, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Stephen Charles Smith, 60, was also ordered by a U.S. District Court judge to pay $5,000 in fines and undergo 20 years of supervision upon his release from prison, according to U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge’s office.
During an investigation into child pornography in the area by Homeland Security and the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce last year, Smith was identified as a possible suspect. Federal authorities searched Smith’s home and found multiple large-screen monitors and several computers that contained child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Smith admitted to law enforcement that he downloaded and possessed child pornography, authorities said.
The attorney’s office said Smith possessed more than 25 videos of child pornography, many of which involved minors under the age of 12 engaging in sadistic and masochistic conduct.
