Palmyra Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Possessing Child Pornography

A Palmyra man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for using a computer in his home to distribute images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced on Thursday.

Donald Kivel, 38, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of receiving child pornography.

He must also serve 10 years of supervised release and pay restitution of $19,980.

In pleading guilty, he admitted that he downloaded images of child pornography that were available for distribution using peer-to-peer sharing software on a computer in his home in June and July of 2011.

He also admitted to possessing more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer, which was seized from his home on July 15, 2011.

Those images included pictures depicting minors posing in a sexually explicit manner, images of child pornography involving children under the age of 12, and images that portrayed sadistic and/or masochistic conduct or other images of violence, according to the documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.