MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man will serve time in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography.
Julius Ford was sentenced Wednesday to eight years and one month in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to the Department of Justice, Ford served in the Army from 2008 to 2012 and was active in the Army Reserves while committing the crimes.
In September 2014, investigators said they received a tip about a person in the area using a flagged email account to send a receive images and videos of children engaging in sexual acts.
The IP address belonged to Ford, authorities said.
Several days later, an agent contacted Ford via the flagged account and was sent materials “depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with other minors and adults.”
A search warrant was executed in February, at which time investigators seized a hard drive, two laptops, an iPhone and a thumb drive.
Computer experts were able to retrieve approximately 2,865 photos and 555 videos of children.
Ford pleaded guilty in March.