Anchorage Radio: Ex-Morning Host Sentenced For Kiddie Porn

James LaPlante

A former country music radio station DJ was sentenced Thursday in Anchorage to two years in prison for distributing child pornography.

James Laplante, also known as Jimmy O’Brien, worked as the morning personality at iHeartMedia's KASH 107.5 FM. Prosecutors said the 49-year-old shared the child porn using social media apps, sometimes while he was at work.

The state argued that Laplante’s conduct was more egregious than the typical child porn defendant, while the defense emphasized his philanthropy and his admission of his crimes.

The investigation into Laplante started when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted APD with two “cybertips,” according to the charges.

Alaska Dispatch News reports Anchorage police detective James Estes testified Thursday the tips are generated when social media companies come across images of child sexual exploitation or potential enticement of minors. The companies report the materials to the national center.

Laplante uploaded 13 child porn images to an Instagram account between Sept. 16 and 18, with the uploaded pictures originating from his home address and workplace, the charges said.