A Norman man, Gerald W. Nesbit, 32, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti to serve 48 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography arising out of two separate cases.?

According to John C. Richter, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, Nesbit originally was indicted in November 2007 in the Western District for possession of child porn. Subsequently, on March 4, Nesbit was indicted in the Northern District of Oklahoma (Tulsa). Under court rules, the cases were consolidated in Oklahoma City where Nesbit pleaded guilty to both indictments in April.

DeGiusti sentenced Nesbit to serve 48 months followed by five years of supervised release on each of the cases, to be served concurrently. Nesbit also will be required to register as a sex offender.?

The prosecutor was Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Robinson.

The case resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood. gov.

Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com