NORWALK, CT — A man accused of possessing child pornography was sentenced last week to over 10 years in prison, according to an announcement from United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut David Sullivan.
In a news release, Sullivan said Rudolph Girdhari, 36, of Norwalk, was sentenced Thursday to 123 months of imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Girdhari was convicted in state court of second-degree possession of child pornography in May 2012 and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, with execution suspended after two years, and 20 years of probation, Sullivan said.
According to Sullivan, an FBI investigation in 2022 and 2023 of people trading child sex abuse images and videos on Wickr, an encrypted communication service, determined an email address connected to Girdhari was being used to access two child pornography trading networks on Wickr.
On May 2, 2024, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Girdhari's home and seized a number of electronic devices, including phones, tablets, computers, hard drives and thumb drives, Sullivan said.
According to Sullivan, analysis of the seized devices revealed more than 2,000 images and videos of child sex abuse.
Girdhari has been detained since May 16, 2024, when he was arrested for violating his state probation, Sullivan said.
On Dec. 3, he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography, according to Sullivan.
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