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Ex-elementary school coach gets 35 years in child porn case

Posted at 9:19 AM, Jul 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-18 09:19:36-04

A former Maryland elementary school basketball coach who has admitted to blackmailing children for "sexually exploitative images" has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The Washington Post reports 35-year-old Christopher Speights was sentenced in federal court Tuesday on child pornography charges. Speights admitted earlier this year to secretly recording children during field and game trips and then blackmailing them for photos. He also has said he posed as a teenage girl online to solicit photos from boys.

Charging documents say Speights was arrested in 2017 after state police investigated a tip regarding "sexually exploitative images" of children and Speights' Dropbox account. The federal case involves six victims. Speights also faces sentencing at the state level.

Prosecutors say Speights may have victimized more than 50 children across Prince George's County.