A former KNBC-TV news producer agreed this week to plead guilty to a child pornography charge – in a deal with federal prosecutors that will likely limit prison time to a fraction of the maximum possible sentence of 20 years, court documents show.
Phil Drechsler is set to enter a plea May 30 to a single count of distribution of child pornography, according to a plea agreement filed Monday, in which prosecutors said they would recommend he be sentenced to the minimum term of 5 years in prison.
Drechsler, now 61, agreed to be placed on supervised release, the federal version of parole, for no less than 20 years, and must register as a sex offender for life in whichever state he resides, the plea documents said.
Federal judges do not have to follow the sentencing recommendations in plea agreements but often do.
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Drechsler was indicted on 3 counts of distribution of child pornography in April, 2023 after FBI agents said they found evidence Drechsler had shared a number of explicit videos in a private online chatroom, and seized numerous digital devices suspected to contain additional illegal material.
This week’s plea agreement was filed 3 months after prosecutors told the court that FBI agents, who continued to investigate Drechsler’s online activity, had identified a 12-year-old child with whom Drechsler allegedly engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and suggested additional criminal charges would be sought.
Drechsler worked at NBC4 from 2012 to February 2023.
