Child Pornography Convict Barred From Computer Use

A man convicted of possessing child pornography was prohibited Tuesday, as a part of his sentence, from having or using a personal computer.

Leon Casey Alva, 22, was sentenced in Los Angeles Municipal Court after being convicted last week.

He was fined $1,550 and given three years’ probation with the conditions that he register as a sex offender and for three years not own or use a personal computer unless it is related to his employment.

“It’s a crime to download [child pornography], it’s a crime to save it, to keep it, to possess it,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Michele Anderson, who prosecuted the case. “A lot of people think they can go into chat rooms and download it and be safe. Not so.”

Municipal Court Judge Patti Jo McKay imposed on Alva a 60-day term in Los Angeles County Jail, but it was stayed pending the outcome of a Sept. 14 hearing. At that time he must report his progress in complying with her order to enroll in court-approved psychiatric or psychological counseling for sexually deviant behavior.

Alva was caught in a sting and charged in 1997, after a call to an anonymous tip hotline identified him as being involved in child pornography, Anderson said.

Detectives served a search warrant on Alva’s Canoga Park home in June 1997, seizing pornographic videotapes and a computer-generated poster depicting young boys, Anderson said.