Former sheriff's lieutenant gets stiffer sentence than recommended
SACRAMENTO — A former Sacramento sheriff’s lieutenant was sentenced Tuesday to 52 months in federal prison.
Mark Kessell, 51, of Sacramento, had previously pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in July.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Laurel D. White, who prosecuted the case, the court also imposed a five-year term of supervised release following Kessell’s prison term. Kessell has also been ordered to pay a $12,500 fine.
While on supervised release, Kessell will be subject to numerous conditions, including the search of his premises and any computer equipment he possesses. Kessell will have to refrain from having contact with children under the age of 18, unless approved by his probation officer. The defendant will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In sentencing the defendant, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez noted the seriousness of the offense and the nature of some of the images possessed by Kessell in justifying a sentence that was stiffer than recommended by the government and the federal Probation Office.
Kessell, a former lieutenant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, was ordered to report to the federal penal institution he will be designated to, or the United States Marshal Service, on Dec. 4 to commence serving his 52-month sentence.
