OAKLAND — A Bay Area resident who allegedly “bragged about engaging in sex tourism” on chatrooms where child sexual abuse footage was being readily exchanged has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, court records show.
Nicholas Ferlatte, 56, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, and was sentenced late last month by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar, records show. He has until Oct. 25 to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin his sentence.
Ferlatte was charged last year, after federal authorities infiltrated an online chatroom where users were sharing child pornography files. Prosecutors said in court records that he was identified as a user who shared 30 such files in one day and “bragged about engaging in sex tourism.” Federal authorities reviewed Ferlatte’s travel history and found that he’d gone on 17 foreign trips, 12 of which were with his family. He was never charged with sex tourism.
When Ferlatte’s East Bay home was raided, he admitted the devices containing child pornography were his, prosecutors said in court filings. After serving his prison term, he’ll have to spend five years on supervised release, court records show.