A 61-year-old Issaquah man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle Friday to 30 months in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Brian T. Moran announced.
Authorities say Philip B. Gilbert, who worked in the IT department of the Archdiocese of Seattle, was arrested on state charges in May 2019.
He was federally charged in Oct. 2019, and pleaded guilty in June 2020.
At his sentencing hearing, the U.S. district judge imposed ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence and $12,000 in restitution to the victims seen in the various child pornography images possessed by Gilbert.
The judge said following his federal sentence, Gilbert will be transferred to authorities in California, where he is charged with sexual assault and could be sentenced to life in prison, if convicted.
Court documents said authorities were alerted to Gilbert’s activities in Jan. 2019 when an electronic service provider reported Gilbert’s account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
After a search warrant was obtained, it was served at Gilbert’s home and his electronic devices were seized.
His devices contained 256 images of child pornography, court documents said.
After Gilbert’s arrest, a victim came forward and told authorities she had been molested by Gilbert.
Contra Costa County, California, later charged Gilbert with multiple sexual abuse crimes against a minor, for which he faces life in prison.