Greenwich lawyer sentenced for having photos and videos of child abuse

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Greenwich man was sentenced Tuesday in New Haven to two years in federal prison for possessing images and videos of child sexual abuse, a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said.

Christopher Bates Jr., 37, possessed a laptop computer containing approximately 1,222 images and two videos depicting sexual abuse of children, including infants, according to prosecutors, who noted that he was an attorney admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut.

RELATED: Greenwich lawyer pleads guilty to child exploitation

Bates Jr.'s sentence is followed by five years of supervised release, prosecutors said, adding that he must pay restitution of $15,000, a $17,000 contribution to the reserve fund for victims of child pornography and additional contributions of $5,100.

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Prosecutors said an international law investigation found that an IP address at Bates' residence was used to access the dark web to view images and videos depicting child abuse. On November 30, 2022, agents from Homeland Security Investigations interviewed Bates, who allowed them to search his electronic devices.

According to prosecutors, a forensic examination uncovered the images and videos.

Bates was arrested on December 13, 2022 and pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography on February 7. He is free on $300,000 bail, is under electrical monitoring and is due to report to jail on July 11.

RELATED: Bridgeport computer repairman convicted of possessing child pornography

The charge is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Safe Childhood Initiative, aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit here; To report child exploitation, click here.

Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at [email protected].

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