A former KNBC television producer was sentenced Monday to five years in prison after he admitted to a federal charge of "knowing possession" of child pornography.
Phillip A. Drechsler will be placed on 15 years of supervision after he's released from prison, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a $20,000 fine.
Drechsler, 61, has been held without bail since his arrest in April 2023 and will get credit for the time he's spent in custody.
According to the US Attorney's Office, Drechsler admitted in a plea agreement earlier this year that he distributed 4 video files in 2021 that he knew showed minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, that he had downloaded those files from the internet and that he knew the minors shown were under the age of 12.
The court was provided with two impact statements to consider prior to sentencing, but at the request of prosecutors the statements were filed under seal and the names were withheld from the public court record.
Drechsler worked at KNBC-TV from 2012 to February 2023.
