A Tyndall man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison on child pornography possession charges.
Paul Hovorka, age 25, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol on Oct. 13.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between June and November 2019, when Hovorka accessed child pornography using a private social media network known as MeWe. Using the MeWe app, he uploaded images of child pornography and shared images of child pornography with other users of the MeWe app. After receiving a cybertip of the illegal activity, law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant and discovered child pornography on two of Hovorka's cell phones.
Hovorka was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2020, and pleaded guilty on July 30. He is required to report to the U.S. Marshals Service on Oct. 29.
