Columbia man sentenced to prison for 4th time for possession of child sexual abuse materials

Image: Department of Justice (D.O.J.)

Image: Department of Justice (D.O.J.)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– A Columbia man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials, said the Justice Department.

Evidence presented to the court showed that in May 2023, Paulsen entered a residential re-entry center to complete the remaining period of his incarceration from a 2014 conviction of possession of child sex abuse materials.

Shortly thereafter, on July 13, 2023, Paulsen was found to be in possession of a contraband phone that contained over 1,200 images and at least one video of child sex abuse materials involving pre-pubescent girls and the sexual abuse of toddlers, said the Justice Department.

Paulsen has three prior federal convictions for possession of child sex abuse materials as well as one prior conviction for failure to register as a sex offender.

A district court judge sentenced Paulsen to 168 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime court-ordered supervision. The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office.