AT A GLANCE
- David Elliott Paulsen, 62, of Columbia, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and lifetime court supervision Friday.
- He pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials.
- Paulsen has three earlier federal convictions for possession of child sex abuse materials.
COLUMBIA — A repeated child sexual abuse materials offender has been returned to federal prison after his fourth offense on the charge.
Federal district Judge Joseph Anderson sentenced David Elliott Paulsen, 62, of Columbia, to 14 years on Friday, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina says. Anderson had pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials, the phrase now used for what once was called “child pornography.”
Paulsen entered a residential reentry center in May 2023 to complete the remainder of his sentence from a 2014 conviction for possession of child sex abuse materials, evidence presented to the court showed. On July 13, 2023, he was found to have a contraband phone that contained more than 1,200 images and at least one video of child sex abuse involving prepubescent girls and toddlers.
Paulsen has three earlier federal convictions for possession of child sex abuse materials and one for failure to register as a sex offender.
In addition to the prison sentence, Anderson sentenced Paulsen to lifetime court supervision, the release says.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s office in Columbia and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle E. Klein.
The post Serial offender sentenced in child pornography case first appeared on South Carolina Lawyers Weekly.