Son sentenced to prison in child porn case; father faces similar charges

A 27-year-old man was sentenced today to eight years in prison and 30 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, and similar charges are pending against his father, a veteran Los Angeles Police Department officer, federal authorities said.

Jonathon Deegan was also ordered by U.S. District Judge S. James Otero to register as a sex offender for his guilty plea in November to one count of possession of child pornography, according to Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Deegan and his father, LAPD Central Division patrol Officer John R. Deegan, 54, were indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury in September 2009.

The younger Deegan was charged with distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, while his father was charged with receipt and possession of the material, Mrozek said.

Federal investigators first came to suspect the younger Deegan -- who had no previous criminal history -- of trading pornographic pictures and videos on the Internet, according to court documents.

When FBI agents served a search warrant at the Long Beach home he shared with his father, they found 600 images on his computer of children, some as young as four years old, involved in sex acts with adults, according to Mrozek.

They also found alleged child pornography on his father's computer.

The elder Deegan, an LAPD officer for more than 20 years, was placed on paid administrative leave in March 2009, after FBI agents told his superiors that he was under investigation, Mrozek said. He faces trial July 20 in Los Angeles federal court.

The Deegans turned themselves in to authorities on Oct. 5 and were released on their own recognizance. The elder Deegan faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, plus lifetime supervised release and having to register as a sex offender.

Investigators were able to identify some of the children, none of whom are from Southern California, and the Deegans are not suspected of ever contacting them, Mrozek said.

The younger Deegan's attorney, Ira M. Salzman, has said his client is a jobless high school dropout with a history of depression and had been "wholeheartedly cooperative'' with investigators.