Palmer man draws 30 years for child porn conviction

MAT-SU — A 70-year-old Palmer man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on federal charges of distributing and possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage announced.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press statement, Arlo E. Erickson will also have to pay $125,000 restitution.

Federal prosecutors say Erickson owned and passed around child pornography for a number of years, treating the images like “trading cards.”

“Such repeated distribution harms each child anew, subjecting the child to shame, humiliation and embarrassment each and every time the image is viewed,” the press release says.

After serving his sentence, Erickson will be on supervised release for the rest of his life, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports.