Willoughby Warren Colonna IV - Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography

A Chesapeake man pleaded guilty to child pornography charges Thursday and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a plea deal with the federal government.

Willoughby Warren Colonna IV, 28, was accused by the FBI in 2004 of operating an Internet file-sharing system from his bedroom computer.

"The illegal system offered access to images and videos of child pornography, including depictions of pre-pubescent children being subject to sex acts by adult men or teenagers," a press release from the Justice Department said.

Colonna was convicted on 10 counts related to the child pornography case in August 2006 and received a 17-year sentence. But his convictions were reversed on appeal, and he was slated for a new trial early this year.

Before the new trial began, he was charged separately on Jan. 25 with obstruction of justice and perjury related to statements he gave under oath during earlier court appearances. In those statements, he claimed he did not view child pornography and never admitted to federal agents that he had.

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to one of the 10 original counts from 2006. The other nine charges were dropped — as were the later obstruction and perjury charges. A court filing with the guilty plea — a statement Colonna agreed to — says Colonna's computer contained a child pornography collection of more than 400 illegal movies and 300 illegal images.

Colonna is the grandson of W.W. "Bill" Colonna Jr., the owner and chairman of the board of Colonna's Shipyard Inc., an established Norfolk firm with more than 400 employees. Founded in 1875, it is the oldest family-owned, full-service shipyard in the United States, according to its Web site.