Child Porn Sentence

TYLER – A 53-year-old Mineola man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for child pornography violations. Steven M. Flaherty pleaded guilty on Mar. 2 to possession of child pornography. He was sentenced Wednesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. According to information presented in court, on July 24, 2009, law enforcement authorities executed a federal search warrant at Flaherty’s Mineola residence and seized his personal computer. A forensic examination of the computer and equipment resulted in the discovery of at least 50 digital images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.