Child pornographer convicted in federal court

Robert Santon, 24, formerly of Cedar Rapids, and now living in Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to two counts of possession of child pornography.

Santon during the plea hearing admitted he possessed child pornography on his computer in 2009. Police obtained a search warrant for Santon's residence in September 2009 after his roommate reported seeing child pornography on Santon's computer.

Police seized a computer and a flash drive that contained evidence of child pornography that had either been deleted or moved before to the search. In an interview the day of the search, Santon admitted he downloaded and viewed child pornography from the Internet.

Santon remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing. He faces up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 fine.