A former West Point cadet has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for collecting and distributing child pornography.
The U.S. attorney's office says Ricky Patrick Hester of Granger, Indiana, was sentenced to 97 months on Wednesday in a federal court north of New York City. A jury found the 25-year-old guilty in June.
Prosecutors say Hester used email, a file-sharing account and his cell phone to collect and share images of children being forced into sexual activity. His phone was seized in December 2013 after a search of his U.S. Military Academy dorm room. Prosecutors say the phone contained roughly 1,200 images and videos of children engaging in sexual activity.
Hester's lawyer has said government agents improperly questioned Hester and improperly searched his room.
