The former owner of an Anchorage bowling alley was sentenced to eight years in prison on Wednesday for distributing child pornography, according to federal prosecutors.
Ronald Teekell, 53, was charged with distribution of child pornography in October. He was sentenced to 97 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska wrote in a release.
Prosecutors said that, as part of a plea deal, Teekell admitted to knowingly receiving, possessing and distributing more than 500 images and videos of child pornography. He also forfeited ownership of Jewel Lake Bowl as part of the deal.
Teekell was first flagged by Homeland Security Investigations in 2009, when a lead from German law enforcement said that someone at the bowling alley was distributing images of child pornography, according to prosecutors. An investigation did not uncover any such images.
In 2010, when returning from an international vacation, Teekell's belongings were searched and "forensic examination reveled several hundred deleted images" of child pornography on Teekell's devices. He wasn't charged at the time, prosecutors said.
In November 2014, an undercover FBI special agent "received hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual exploitation from an IP address assigned to Jewel Lake Bowl," prosecutors said.
Then, in May 2016, Anchorage police detectives observed a "suspect device" distributing hundreds of child sexual exploitation images and videos from an IP address assigned to Teekell's home address. Search warrants at his home and workplace and subsequent analysis "revealed corroborating evidence of his distribution of images … between 2009 and 2016," prosecutors said.
More than a dozen people, mostly family and friends, wrote in support of Teekell, asking for a more lenient sentence.
One letter was from former Anchorage Assembly chairman Dan Coffey, who said he is a friend of the family. Coffey wrote about his own struggles with alcohol, and how Teekell had been going to Alcoholics Anonymous prior to his arrest. Coffey wrote that Teekell had an addiction to child pornography that could be managed.
"If he works the program, ultimately, he can return to society as a man who will … never commit this crime again," Coffey wrote.
Another was from his sister, Donna Teekell, who identified herself as an elementary school principal and former mental health therapist. "Because of my background, I was particularly affected by Ron's charges. However, I want to assure you that I love Ron very much, and firmly believe that he is capable of change for the better."
Prosecutors had asked for 97 months in prison, which was ordered by the judge.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Donna Teekell's last name.