Man sentenced for downloading child pornography at Gulfport Seabee Base

GULFPORT -- A Gulfport man who was caught at the Naval Construction Battalion Center touching himself and looking at images of children engaged in sex acts on a computer was ordered Wednesday to serve 25 years under supervised release for his crime.

John Daniel Wanzo pleaded guilty in October to possession of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden gave him credit for time served under home confinement since his October 2014 arrest in Jacksonville, Fla.

In addition, the judge ordered him to pay a $7,500 fine and a $100 special assessment fee.

According to the indictment, Wanzo downloaded child porn in Harrison County in May 2012.

At his plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes said the government was prepared to prove he had downloaded child porn from a soldier's computer to his computer at the Seabee Base. Haynes said authorities found 47 images of children engaged in sex acts and one video in a temporary folder on Wanzo's computer.

Wanzo and his public defender, Ellen Allred, denied he downloaded that many images. In the end, Haynes agreed to allow him to admit to downloading three images.

The government had recommended he serve five years under house arrest.

Wanzo has been living with his father in Jacksonville.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Man sentenced for downloading child pornography at Gulfport Seabee Base ."