Queens coach sentenced in naked teen pictures scandal

QUEENS, N.Y. (WABC) -- Prosecutors said a Queens man who admitted persuading teen boys to send nude photos to him has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Prosecutors say Robert Walker pleaded guilty last month to disseminating indecent material to minors.

He was sentenced to one and a half, to 4 and a half years in prison on Thursday.

The Queens district attorney said 43-year-old Robert Walker, of Jamaica, entered a guilty plea Wednesday to disseminating indecent material to minors.

Court documents said Walker was chatting online with a 15-year-old boy, instructing him to strip naked and pose during a video feed and also send nude photos. The incident happened in April 2014.

Police searched Walker's computer and found 27 images of children between the ages of 8 and 13 performing sex acts with adult men.

The court filing said that Walker also made statements after his arrest that he conducted workouts with teens under the age of 16, and during those sessions he'd have the teens remove their clothes and then take photos and videos of them.

Also after his arrest, police found three more victims in the case. The 14- and 15-year-olds played basketball on the team and were also instructed to strip naked on video chats. One of the incidents occurred in-person.

District Attorney Richard Brown said Walker took advantage of his trusted position as a basketball coach to satisfy his own sexual needs.

"The defendant has now admitted to taking advantage of his position as a non-affiliated basketball coach to instruct teenage boys to undress and send nude photographs of themselves to him for his sexual gratification," Brown said. "The victims will undoubtedly be scarred for life as a result of this man's manipulative actions."

The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.