Ex Mount Pleasant police chief sentenced for child porn possession

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The former police chief of the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of child pornography.

Federal prosecutors say 56-year-old Brian Fanelli, of Mahopac, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the charge last year. He was also ordered to forfeit his computer and hard drives used to commit the offense and to pay a $100 assessment fee.

Prosecutors say Fanelli told investigators he first used the pornographic images as research for sex abuse awareness classes he taught to schoolchildren.

According to investigators, Fanelli said he later began viewing them "for personal interest."

Fanelli's arrest prompted a Homeland Security investigation that led to charges against 70 others, including a Boy Scout leader and a rabbi.