Ex-University Of Michigan Doctor Sentenced In Child Porn Case
ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - A former resident physician at University of Michigan Hospital has been sentenced to three years in prison in a child pornography case that revealed a six-month delay in crime reporting.
Stephen Jenson was sentenced Thursday in Detroit federal court on possession of child pornography charge.
"On my computer, I had images of children of an illegal nature," Jenson admitted in court, adding later that the images showed children in various sexual acts and poses.
Jenson was facing the possibility of spending several years behind bars, but defense attorney Raymond Cassar was able to argue for a shortened sentence, saying there wasn't any "hands-on contact" between Jenson and the children. Cassar said Jenson was truly remorseful for his conduct.
"We worked very hard to prove to the government that Stephen was not a threat and this was an isolated incident," Cassar told AnnArbor.com. "He was amenable to treatment in the community."
According to investigators, there was a reporting lapse that allowed Jenson to work with children for an additional six months after a medical resident discovered a thumb drive containing documents with Jenson's name and images of child pornography in the Pediatric Emergency Department lounge.
An internal investigation into the delay determined a hospital attorney was aware of the discovery in May 2011, but decided after a month that there wasn't enough evidence to tell police.
Security at the university-affiliated hospital didn't report the case to university police until Nov. 21, 2011. After police were notified, they searched Jenson's home and removed his computer. He was arrested days later and charged by Washtenaw County prosecutors with four counts of possessing child sexually abusive material.
Then, in early Feb. 2012, the federal government charged Jenson with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Police say they found 97 images and four videos of suspected child porn on Jenson's electronic devices. Investigators believe the alleged illegal conduct occurred between Jan. 2011 and Dec. 2, 2011.
The hospital has since made changes to improve safety.
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