Ex-NYPD cop who convinced women to molest their kids gets prison

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a disgraced former NYPD sergeant to decades in prison for child pornography charges.

Alberto Randazzo met women online through hookup and dating sites such as Ashley Madison and Match.com and convinced them to sexually abuse their babies and young children so he could watch, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn said in a release.

In 2013, his girlfriend found disturbing text messages on his phone and emails from these women containing photos of them molesting their children, according to prosecutors. The AP reported that she contacted the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, which launched a probe.

"[T]he Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) of the NYPD obtained a search warrant for Randazzo's apartment and found numerous images and videos of child pornography, including a number of videos of child pornography that were created by Randazzo himself," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in 2016.

Cops arrested and charged Randazzo in state court. But while he was out on bail, Homeland Security agents discovered that Randazzo was downloading child pornography, leading to federal charges.

In July 2016, Randazzo pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit a child and receiving child pornography.

Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn sentenced Randazzo to 28 years in federal prison.

Two women have pleaded guilty and a third awaits trial in connection with the case, the AP reported.