A former Catholic priest living in Hollywood was arrested and indicted Friday on charges that he possessed child pornography.Kenneth Hasselbach, 68, was booked into Broward County's main jail and charged with possession of child pornography.
Agents with the FBI learned that Hasselbach had received images by e-mail during an investigation into Internet child pornography, officials said.
Hasselbach admitted he had child porn on his two computers and that he obtained the images through Internet downloads, according to an affidavit.
He also admitted that he chatted online with 14- and 15-year-old boys about their first sexual experiences.
An examination of his computers revealed that they contained images of boys under the age of 18 either posing nude or engaging in sexual activity, authorities said.
Hasselbach was accused in 1994 of molesting a 12-year-old altar boy at St. Raphael's in East Meadow, N.Y. At the time, he was leading Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Patchogue, N.Y., and had recently been caught with a pornographic video tape.
Records show he moved to Hollywood after the Catholic diocese removed him from his position at the church.
If convicted, Hasselbach faces up to 10 years in prison.
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