Today, Nicholas Albert Berlen, 26, was sentenced to 7 years in prison on charges related to child pornography for a case in Charlotte County.
Berlen pled guilty to one count of Computer Pornography and ten counts of Possession of Child Pornography.
Berlen used file sharing programs on his laptop computers to download and transmit pornographic images containing children. The computers were found in his bedroom.
As part of the plea agreement Berlen was adjudicated guilty on all counts. He was ordered to serve the 7 years in prison, followed by 5 years of sex offender probation. He will also be serving 5 years in prison on each of the remaining ten charges. His prison time will run concurrent.
As part of his sentence Berlen must register as a sexual offender and is prohibited from having any contact with minors. He must also forfeit any electronics that were seized with the images on them.
Assistant State Attorney Kyle Stublen handled the case.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
239-533-1125
ssyoen@sao20.org