Portsmouth man gets 9 years for child porn

A Portsmouth man who tried to pick up young girls on Craigslist was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison for possessing more than 2,400 images of child pornography.

William Geister, 44, is already serving five years in state prison for the Craigslist crime. In U.S. District Court on Monday, Geister's plea for leniency was denied.

Geister was arrested in July 2009 after placing an ad on Craigslist that said, "Any cute teen girls want to get together now?" and "Looking for any teen girls that want to get together for some fun in the bedroom."

A reader saw the ad and notified Chesapeake police. An undercover officer responded to the ad, pretending to be a young girl. The officer arranged a meeting with Geister and arrested him then.

The authorities also discovered 2,475 images of child pornography on his computer, including pictures of children being tied up and whipped.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi asked for a minimum of nine years to run at the end of his five-year state prison term.

"The defendant's actions are troubling," Yusi wrote to the judge. "Collecting child pornography images feeds a market that preys upon other children by creating demand for more of the images."

Geister's lawyer, citing his client's lack of criminal record, medical and family problems and remorsefulness, asked for a five-year term to run at the same time as the state term.

"Mr. Geister is ashamed and embarrassed by his criminal conduct," Assistant Federal Public Defender Keith Kimball wrote to the judge.

He said the recommended guideline range of nine to 10 years "overstates the seriousness" of the offense.

"While child pornography is not something to be taken lightly, the nature and circumstances of the offense in this case are not as egregious as in cases where individuals actually participate in or produce child pornography," he said.

U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman denied the request. He also put Geister on 20 years of probation upon release from prison.

Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com