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Bernie Ward Offers Guilty Plea In Child Porn Case

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May 8, 2008 7:08 pm US/Pacific

Bernie Ward Offers Guilty Plea In Child Porn Case

 Download Police Report & Chat Log (**Warning: Very Graphic Sexual Language) (.pdf)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Former KGO Radio talk show host Bernie Ward admited Thursday that he distributed child pornography and could face at least five years in federal prison following a plea deal.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker agreed to hold off on accepting Ward's plea to one count of distributing child pornography until an Aug. 28 sentencing hearing. That allows Ward to avoid going to prison until then.

The charge carries a possible maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of five years in prison. Defense attorney Doron Weinberg said he expects Ward to be in prison for at least four years.

Ward, 57, told the judge in court Thursday that he was aware that the pornographic images he sent on the Internet in 2004 contained sexually explicit pictures of children. Ward said he was researching a book, but according to federal law the intent does not matter.

Ward, a former weeknight talk host on KGO-AM, was originally charged with two other counts of receiving and attempting to send child pornography in January 2005. Those charges were dropped as part of the plea bargain.

Ward is a former Roman Catholic priest who also hosted a Sunday morning show on KGO called "God Talk."

KGO fired him after the indictment was unsealed.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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