A former Boy Scouts executive has been sentenced to eight years in prison for collecting child porn from the Internet, according to the Associated Press.
Douglas S, Smith, Jr., 62, an executive in the Boy Scouts of America at the time he was charged, pleaded guilty in March to one count of possessing child porn.
"The good news is that the court certainly harmed Mr. Smith a lot less than the court could have," Jack Strickland, Smith's attorney, said. "They take these cases very seriously, as they should."
Smith had faced between five and 20 years in prison. He did not immediately return a call Monday to his home seeking comment, AP said.
In a statement to the court, Smith apologized to his wife and three sons, church members and friends, and the Boy Scouts for the pain and humiliation he caused, the news service reported.
U.S. District Judge Terry Means ordered Smith to surrender to prison officials Jan. 9, AP reported.
In March, Smith acknowledged receiving and sending over the Internet more than 500 images of boys, some younger than age 12, posing nude or engaging in sex acts, according to the story.
Smith worked for the Boy Scouts for 39 years, the last nine as a national program director, but he did not work directly with children in his most recent job, Boy Scouts officials have said. He resigned in February after the allegations surfaced, the story said.
