A Marlborough man who previously played soccer in the Olympics for deaf people received a five-year federal prison sentence Monday for distributing and possessing child sex abuse material, authorities said.
Larry Stephen, 46, learned his fate during a hearing in US District Court in Boston, where he had previously pleaded guilty to one count each of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography, US Attorney Leah B. Foley’s office said in a statement.
A lawyer for Stephen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Federal prosecutors had requested the five-year term for Stephen pursuant to a plea agreement, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum filed last week.
Stephens’s residence was searched in June 2023 after he was identified as a person posting and receiving illicit material via a social media platform, prosecutors said, and his cell phone was seized.
“A preliminary examination of the device revealed the presence of CSAM and that Stephen repeatedly posted images and videos depicting CSAM on a social media platform,” prosecutors said.
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He was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution to two of the victims who appeared in the sex abuse material.
“One victim identified as ‘Jenny’ seeks $10,000, a second victim identified as ‘ZooFamily 1′ seeks $3,000,” prosecutors wrote in their memorandum. “In the absence of an agreement between the victims and the defendant, the United States asks the Court to impose the request amounts. When imposing restitution in a child pornography case, a Court cannot order restitution in an amount less than $3,000.”
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Jessica Thrall, a lawyer for Stephen, said in a defense sentencing memo that her client has no prior record.
“Mr. Stephen is an accomplished professional, a devoted father and husband, and a person who has spent his entire life overcoming personal challenges,” Thrall wrote. “With the exception of this offense, he has otherwise lived an entirely law-abiding life.”
Thrall said Stephen was born deaf.
“Mr. Stephen has spent years as a professional in the American Sign Language (ASL) educational arena and has been a zealous advocate for the expansion of services for people who are deaf,” Thrall wrote. “It is his life’s passion to bring ASL services to spaces that have traditionally had limited access. He has participated in the USA Men Deaf Olympics [now known as the Deaflympics] on their soccer team and has brought ASL services into his Mosque.”
He competed in the 2001 games in Rome, according to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.
He must report to prison by 2 p.m. on Nov. 3, records show.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.