Former Cobb County Deputy Peter Bilardello has been sentenced to nearly six years behind bars after pleading guilty to distributing child pornography, according to a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Upon release, Bilardello will also serve five years of supervised release.
“Bilardello’s actions erode the trust the public places in law enforcement officers,” Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens told FOX 5 Atlanta. “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.”
According to the report, Bilardello came under investigation after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicated a user on social media platform MeWe had uploaded approximately 12 sexually explicit images of children in Marietta that Cobb County Police traced to him.
Prosecutors said Bilardello worked in the Sex Offender Unit of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office where he maintained a database of registered sex offenders in the county, FOX 5 reports. Investigators found more than 300 pornographic videos depicting young children on his phone.
Held in federal custody since his arrest, Bilardello has also resigned from his post with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, with Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer adding “when a law enforcement officer breaks that trust, it reflects on all officers across this profession.”
