Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Ex-officer pleads guilty in porn case

The former police officer had more than 1, 000 images of kids on his computer.

By RICHARD DANIELSON
Published June 15, 2007

A former Largo police officer faces up to 10 years in prison as a result of his guilty plea Thursday to federal charges of possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa.

Jamie Bogdan, 33, who now lives in Fort Myers Beach, entered the plea in U.S. District Court, where he had been scheduled to go on trial Monday.

Bogdan was a Largo police officer for 21/2 years. He resigned on Oct. 17 - the same day agents confronted him at his home. An undercover operation online had led them to Bogdan.

"I know what this is all about, " he told investigators, according to pleadings in federal court. "It's about what I downloaded from the Internet." He told investigators he knew what he was doing was illegal and had tried to stop but could not. He also told them he needed mental health help and would never harm a child.

Bogdan's attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

In the interview at his home, Bogdan admitting sharing computer files containing child pornography. He said he began to download child pornography in February 2006.

Bogdan downloaded more than 1, 700 images of child pornography, authorities said, and the victims' ages ranged from 6 months to 13 years old. He had deleted most of the files from his Dell computer by the time agents contacted him.

After the agents left, two Largo police officers who were friends of Bogdan went to his apartment, and he told them he had an addiction and that he was relieved that he had been caught, according to court records.

At the time of his arrest in January, the FBI said Bogdan was one of a handful of law enforcement officers who had been targeted by the bureau's Innocent Image Task Force.

Bogdan, according to Largo police, had passed a background check, a lie detector and psychological and physical tests as part of being hired in January 2004. He had no record there of complaints or disciplinary action.

In addition to time in prison, Bogdan faces a fine of up to $250, 000 and three years of supervised release, prosecutors said. His sentencing will be scheduled separately before U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew.

Times staff writer Carrie Weimar and researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

[Last modified June 14, 2007, 22:11:54]