Former Pa. senator sentenced to prison for child pornography possession
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A former state senator from Lebanon County was sentenced to one to two years in prison for possessing child pornography and related offenses, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday.
Mike Folmer was charged in September 2019 after an online tip led investigators to discover images of child pornography on Folmer’s phone.
Folmer was a sitting four-term state senator last September when police arrested and charged him. He promptly resigned and is now retired, and pleaded guilty. His attorney said in February that Folmer was engaged in counseling and treatment, according to the Associated Press.
“This was a public official who constituents trusted to do what’s right, but he failed. He engaged in the sexual exploitation of children,” Shapiro said. “No one is above the law, including those who make the laws. I will continue to work to protect children and hold those who abuse them accountable.”
In February 2019, social media company Tumblr sent a complaint to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had uploaded at least one image that contained suspected child pornography in December 2017, according to court papers filed by the attorney general’s office in September.
Investigators then traced the Tumblr account to Folmer’s email address and home address, they said.
Folmer will serve up to two years in prison, followed by eight years’ probation and 15 years as a registered sex offender.