CT lawyer convicted of possessing child sexual abuse images

An attorney licensed to practice in Connecticut and New York was sentenced to two years in federal prison for accessing the dark web to view images and videos of child sexual abuse, officials said.

Christopher Bates Jr., 37, of Greenwich, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 24 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession and access with intending to view child pornography on February 7, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

During an international law investigation, authorities learned that an IP address from Bates' home was allegedly used to access the dark web to view images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, records show judicial.

On November 30, 2022, agents with Homeland Security Investigations interviewed Bates, who allegedly agreed to a search of his electronic devices, according to officials.

Court records show that a forensic examination of one of his laptops allegedly revealed 1,222 images and two videos depicting sexual abuse of children, including infants.

“As part of his sentence, Bates was ordered to pay restitution of $15,000, an assessment of $17,000 to fund the Child Pornography Victims Reserve Fund and additional assessments of $5,100,” they said. indicated those responsible.

Bates was arrested on December 13, 2022. He is currently free on $300,000 bail under electronic monitoring and is scheduled to report to jail on July 11.