VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Editor's Note: The above video is on file from Jan. 20, 2023.
A former Virginia Beach firefighter who pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday.
Back in January, Douglas France pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of sexually explicit material involving a minor. France was arrested in October 2022 for alleged crimes that started in November 2021.
According to an affidavit, France uploaded more than 100 files of child pornography to an instant messaging account, 98 of which were uploaded between Nov. 23 and Dec. 16 of 2021, and almost 30 were uploaded in mid-February 2022.
The court document said some of the victims in these videos appeared to be as young as 4 years old.
Court documents show that on May 26, France was sentenced by a federal judge to 60 months in prison, with credit for time served.
France will then be given supervised release for an additional five years and will be required to register as a sex offender.