Former Cobb County, Georgia, Deputy Peter Bilardello, 52, will spend nearly six years behind bars followed by 10 years of supervised release after being convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Bilardello, who worked in the Sex Offender Unit of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, came under suspicion after Cobb County Police traced an account on the social media platform MeWe to him where sexually explicit images of children in Marietta, Georgia, were found, according to a Dec. 2 report by Fox 5 Atlanta.
“Bilardello’s actions erode the trust the public places in law enforcement officers,” Cobb County Sheriff, Craig Owens, said in the report. “I commend the Cobb County Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their swift action in investigating these heinous crimes and stopping the spread of child pornography.”
After obtaining warrants to search Bilardello’s phone and home, investigators found more than 300 pornographic videos depicting young children on his phone, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Bilardello pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography in August. He has been in federal custody since his arrest.
