Former high-profile Philadelphia chef sentenced for child porn

CAMDEN, N.J. -- A chef who operated restaurants in Philadelphia and New Jersey has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on a conviction related to child pornography.

Forty-four-year-old Alexander Capasso pleaded guilty earlier in federal court to conspiring with a former girlfriend to engage in the sexual exploitation of children. Charges of production and distribution of child pornography were dismissed in exchange for the plea.

The two were arrested in July 2105 after prosecutors said Capasso exchanged pornographic images with investigators. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Capasso acknowledged Wednesday in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, that he had distributed five such images.

Capasso apologized in court Wednesday. The judge, calling the case among the most depraved he had seen, also sentenced him to a lifetime of supervised release.