Man Gets 750 Year Prison Sentence For Creating Child Porn In Basement

[matcom]

<snip>

A Burnsville man was sentenced to 750 years in prison for creating at least 29 pornographic images of prepubescent girls in his basement.

The tip-off that helped investigators put him away: a Brownie uniform in the background of one of his photographs.

The sentence handed down to Bruce W. Betcher in U.S. District Court on Monday is believed to be one of the longest in U.S. history for the manufacture and possession of child pornography.

In May 2006, Betcher, 53, was convicted after a weeklong jury trial on 24 counts of manufacturing child porn, one count of receipt of child porn and one count of possession of child porn.

In sentencing him Monday, Judge James M. Rosenbaum, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, called Betcher's crime "an utterly unconscionable act," according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office.

"There are some crimes for which there is no excuse," Rosenbaum said.

The 750-year sentence took even some seasoned defense attorneys and federal law enforcement officials aback. Authorities were attempting to determine if it was a new record for a child pornography case.

"Have I ever heard of a longer sentence in Minnesota? The answer is no. Nothing like that," said Earl Gray, a St. Paul attorney whose major practice is in federal court. "(Rosenbaum) is usually pretty fair."

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_5841427?nclick_check=1

[Burma Jones]

1. Good

Life in prison for Kiddie Porn Producers is a good thing.

[eyepaddle]

2. Hmmm, a disturbing trend in MATCOM news updates is the now frequent

Minnesota connection. There were the two New Jersey women fighting on the freeway in Brooklyn Park (where I now work) and this Burnsville guy--where I grew up.

:scared:

BUt the 750 year sentence seems right to me.

[AllegroRondo]

3. but hes eligible for parole after only 375

[SteppingRazor]

4. Pathetic. Leave it to our flaming-liberal justice system...

to let this pederast out on the street after less than four centuries in jail. :eyes:

[Divameow77]

5. but

does the year he has already served count???

[eppur_se_muova]

6. What position did he hold at DHS? nt