William J. Beaty, 19, of Benton spent a few moments with family members after hearing his sentence in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in Benton on Friday.
Accused of downloading videos of child pornography and images through a file-sharing site, Beaty accepted a governmental plea deal and signed a waiver of prosecution by indictment prior to pleading guilty in federal court.
Beaty's mother, Lisa Irvin, testified, saying she specialized in sexual abuse and sexual assault and saw "no signs of him wanting to be around children" when he himself was a child.
She said her son preferred to be around adults and playing Army.
"He has been a good boy," Irvin said.
She said her son experienced some rage after she and his father divorced, adding Beaty had been diagnosed early on with learning disabilities that had been resolved by him having a tutor.
Irvin said her son had "always been active with the Civil Air Patrol and the emergency management agency."
The night a search warrant was served, Beaty's mother said he had been operating generators for EMA before coming home and going to sleep.
"He said he had done wrong and was willing to be truthful," she said.
Irvin said her son had a support system that "will make sure he does everything he is supposed to do."
After asking for leniency from Judge J. Philip Gilbert, Beaty's grandmother, Betty Hutchens, took the witness stand and said he had lived with she and her husband.
Calling him "a good boy," she said Beaty helped the elderly in the neighborhood and "helps anyone who needs help."
Hutchens said Beaty had been elected vice president of his student class since he was in the seventh grade.
"He was always a leader," she said.
Hutchens said he "got excited" about assisting with search and rescue missions. "He wanted a military career and that's gone," she said before also asking Gilbert for leniency.
Beaty's attorney said he had rarely "had a man this young in a situation such as this," adding he rarely had seen a man that young who had done so much. "He presents a sterling picture yet has been convicted and has pleaded guilty to some very serious crimes."
Beaty's attorney said his client was "hooked on hideous images at age 12 and 13." The prosecuting attorney asked Gilbert to sentence Beaty "within the range at the lower end of the spectrum."
His attorney said the results of an ordered mental evaluation concurred with two other physicians, indicating that Beaty would not be inclined to molest children.
"Everything in his background shows that he isn't going to harm anyone and I stand by that," the attorney said.
Beaty's attorney asked for a lower period of incarceration, followed by mandatory supervised release between 10 to 30 years of his life saying that could be enough rope to allow some defendants to "hang themselves not him."
Beaty also took the witness stand, reading a prepared statement. He said he "made a stupid mistake as a teenager" but had "come to see blessings despite the pain and sorrow" that he caused others.
Gilbert told Beaty he would have to register as a sex offender after he was released from custody, telling him he would be "under a microscope."
The judge reflected on a speech recently given, saying that he "sees so many curses of the technological world today."
"I put people in the pen between the ages of 19 and 60 for viewing video images," Gilbert said. "The FBI has a cyber team out there monitoring those child pornography sites. This is a serious, serious problem."
The judge said the sentences imposed were difficult, saying that in some instances they affected "pillars of the community."
Gilbert commended Beaty for "doing a lot in your short years" in terms of assisting others particularly during search and rescue missions. He said a "slap on the wrist" would not send the right message and ordered the defendant to receive proper treatment and enroll in programs.
Gilbert said Beaty would be sent to a facility that treats sex offenders.
He said the statutory maximum range of imprisonment for the offenses is between 97 and 120 months.
Gilbert said the prosecutors are not from the district and preferred the lower range of the sentence.
In addition, Beaty was ordered to 10 years' mandatory supervised release, to report to probation within 72 hours of his release and pay $1,100 in fines and court costs, at $25 per month.
Beaty will undergo a mental health assessment and treatment and pay on a sliding fee scale. The judge told Beaty that his computers would be subject to future searches and to explain that to his family members who could be using the computer equipment.
Beaty was remanded to the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina. Gilbert said the Marion facility is an alternative site.
