Former Sacramento Sheriff Deputy Sentenced to 52 Months for Possessing Child Pornography

United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that MARK KESSELL, 51, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge John A. Mendez to 52 months in federal prison. He had previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography on July 7, 2009.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Laurel D. White, who prosecuted the case, the court also imposed a five-year term of supervised release to commence upon the termination the prison term, and ordered KESSELL to pay a $12,500 fine. While on supervised release, he will be subject to numerous conditions including the search of his premises and any computer equipment he possesses, and he will have to refrain from having contact with children under the age of 18, unless approved by his probation officer. The defendant will also be required to register as a sex offender.

In sentencing the defendant, Judge Mendez noted that the seriousness of the offense conduct, and the nature of some of the images possessed by KESSELL, justified the 52-month sentence that was higher than that recommended by the government and the United States Probation Officer. KESSELL, a former lieutenant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department, was ordered to report to the federal penal institution he will be designated to, or the United States Marshal Service, on December 4, 2009, to commence serving his 52-month sentence.