Former Marin Boy Scout Leader Sentenced To 33 Months In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography

SAN FRANCISCO – John Blecka was sentenced to 33 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.  The sentence was handed down today by the Honorable William Alsup, U.S. District Court Judge.

Blecka, 65, of San Rafael, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on October 1, 2019.  In his plea agreement, Blecka admitted that in May 2019, he possessed more than 150 images and videos containing child pornography.  At the time of the charged conduct, Blecka was a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and had served in a local leadership position with the organization.

A federal grand jury indicted Blecka on July 16, 2019, charging him with one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).  

In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Alsup sentenced Blecka to a 10-year term of supervised release and also ordered him to pay $9,000 in restitution and to register as a sex offender.  Judge Alsup ordered Blecka to begin serving his sentence on April 30, 2020.

Christina Liu and Ross Weingarten are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Margoth Turcios.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the assistance of the San Rafael Police Department.