NE Iowan Sentenced to Prison for Child Porn

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Hopkinton man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for having child pornography.

51-year-old Paul LeClere was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty Feb. 6 to one count of possession of child pornography.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the northern district of Iowa LeClere was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade, who also fined LeClere $10,000, ordered him to pay $4,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.