An Androscoggin County man who downloaded sexually explicit images of children, including some involving bondage and bestiality, was sentenced Friday to more than 11 years in federal prison on a charge of receiving child pornography.

Jody G. Moczara, 35, of Sabattus was sentenced by Judge George Singal in U.S. District Court in Portland to 135 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security began investigating Moczara after the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at Marco’s Italian Restaurant in Lewiston on July 10, looking for evidence that someone there had downloaded child pornography, according to court records.

After interviewing everyone at the restaurant, investigators ruled out employees and customers. However, some of those interviewed recalled seeing a green Ford Explorer with clothing blocking its windows parked across the street the day before the search warrant was executed. Investigators determined that the truck was registered to Moczara, said David Fife, a Homeland Security agent, in a court affidavit.

Investigators made another connection after they executed a search warrant at a residence in Winthrop. They found that the same person who had used the restaurant’s Internet connection to download child pornography had made more such downloads using the Internet connection at the Winthrop residence, Fife wrote in the affidavit.

The owner of the Winthrop residence told police that Moczara worked for him, installing drywall at an unfinished home in Rumford. The owner said he had asked Moczara to water the plants at his residence while he and his wife were out of town, according to Fife.

Investigators confronted Moc-zara at the Rumford job site. He initially denied downloading child pornography but admitted using Internet connections at various restaurants in the Lewiston area while he was in his vehicle, the affidavit says. Authorities searched Moczara’s Explorer and discovered downloaded child pornography on a laptop computer inside, Fife wrote.

The computer had many child pornography video files and still images, including some pictures of children in bondage and engaging in bestiality, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Moczara pleaded guilty to the charge of receiving child pornography last Oct. 14.

Scott Dolan can be contacted at 791-6304 or at:

sdolan@pressherald.com

Twitter: scottddolan

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