Ex-Radnor board prez gets serious jail time for child porn
Wearing a gray prison jumpsuit and a solemn demeanor, Philip Ahr, the former Radnor Township Board of Commissioners president, listened as a federal judge sentenced him on Tuesday to 151 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
Ahr, a Democrat, had pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson also ordered him to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and pay a $5,000 fine. He had also agreed to pay $43,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement.
Baylson took particular notice that Ahr was a public official when he was arrested in 2017 and officials found child pornography on the iPad that had been issued by Radnor Township.
As his family and about 15 community members looked on, Ahr read a letter that he’d written to the judge, telling the court of his remorse and that he accepted the consequences of his crimes.
“I was sick when I did this,” said Ahr. “I did not realize the harm I was causing.” He asked his family, friends and constituents to forgive him. He thanked his wife and sons for their continuing support.
Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella argued for a “top end” sentence of 235 months, although it was Ahr’s first offense. Ahr was not just causally downloading child pornography, she said. He was “well immersed in the underworld and very involved in the trade of these images.”
“Mr. Ahr was at the depraved levels,” she said, and viewed pictures of infants and toddlers being sexually assaulted. The children were being “horribly abused.” Some of the online chats Ahr took part in were “the most horrible I’ve ever seen.” His comments were “violent, wicked, depraved,” she said. He spoke to others online telling them to frighten child victims “using electric shock so they wouldn’t talk.”
“He directed much violence toward these children,” she said. “He is a true danger. He is not somebody sitting in his mother’s basement downloading images. He is well beyond that, for four years at all times of the day and night at home, while at work. He used his township issued iPad.”
Online Ahr called himself Daddy X or Daddy XX, she said. She also said that he destroyed evidence by deleting a Dropbox file after Delaware County detectives served a search warrant at his house. She asked how Ahr can deny to therapists and officials that he is sexually attracted to children. Also, many of the community activities that he was involved in included children, she said.
Defense lawyer Stephen Patrizio had called two psychologists who both testified that Ahr was unlikely to be a repeat offender. A therapist also testified that after his arrest Ahr actively sought out treatment and took part in a 12-step program. While in custody, Ahr was involved in Bible study, started a Bible study for prisoners and also taught prisoners.
Patrizio told Baylson that the federal sentencing guidelines have been disregarded by other judges.
“Just because it’s legal does not make it right,” he said. While the government argued that Ahr was a predator, “he is a non-contact offender,” said Patrizio.
“This man will be 69 in November,” said Patrizio. “This could be a life sentence.” He noted that Ahr has had a heart attack and continues to have health problems. “He is death walking,” Patrizio said.
He noted the community support that Ahr had garnered. Commissioner John Nagle and former Commissioner James Higgins came to the hearing and wrote letters of support, as did others.
“This is a man with a whole lot of good,” said Patrizio. The people who came are asking the judge to have mercy, he said.
“Perhaps, most important is the self-realization,” said Patrizio. Since his arrest, Ahr sought help and continued to have his therapists come while he was in custody. “He read every one of those victim impact statements and shed tears.”
“Five years (as called for in the plea agreement) is not a slap on the wrist … You can rape somebody and get a five-year sentence. That’s the craziness of the guidelines,” said Patrizio.
Baylson said the crime was very serious and the sentence should address the harm to the young victims.
“This is not a victimless crime,” he said. “They suffer severe psychological damage.” And as long as “people such as Mr. Ahr” purchase those pictures, children will continue to suffer, he said.
“This is an addiction,” said Baylson. “This is an addiction that requires punishment.” And part of the goal in sentencing is deterring others, he said.
“People must know there will be a stiff penalty to pay.”
“It is incomprehensible a chairman of the board of a township, a very wealthy township, would have this material,” said Baylson.
But he also took into account Ahr’s age, that elderly people are unlikely to commit crimes and his health.
Ahr will get jail time credit for the 18 months he already has served and when he is released he will be banned from working or volunteering with children.
“I’m grateful the judge gave him a sentence that will keep him behind bars, hopefully until he can’t hurt any other children,” said Rotella.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a press release, “The defendant’s days of exploiting his position of trust in our community for his perverse gratification are over,” Williams said. “Child sexual exploitation is appallingly pervasive, exacerbated by the easy availability of online file sharing, and it demands an aggressive response. We stand ready with our federal partners to identify and prosecute individuals that perpetuate this abuse.”
Patrizio declined to comment after the hearing.
The Ahr case was part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.