A 55-year-old Kingsland man was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for distributing child pornography.

George McKee will also be required to register as a sex offender.

At the conclusion of the sentencing, McKee was returned to the custody of the United States Marshal Service to serve his sentence.

According to the evidence presented at McKee's plea and sentencing hearings, in late 2009 McKee, who was employed by a security services contractor at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, engaged in sexually suggestive "chats" and distributed child pornography through an Internet website.

Mckee continued to possess child pornography on his computer and other computer media in March 2011, when a search warrant was executed at his home.

The investigation into McKee's activity began in January 2011 when he was identified by an ongoing undercover operation to detect, identify and locate people who are active in the exchange and distribution of child pornography, investigators said.

In another similar case involving Kingsland police and the FBI using similar techniques, 26-year-old Thomas Mumford, of Kingsland, became the subject of interest, and a search warrant was executed on his home.

He was arrested the same day McKee was sentenced -- last Thursday -- and charged with violation of federal code for the distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

The case is an ongoing federal investigation.

"The distribution of images depicting the sexual abuse of innocent children is a heinous crime," said U.S. Attorney Edward J. Tarver. "This abuse continued every time the defendant electronically transferred the despicable images to others."