Mark Soza is seen in this undated picture from the Woodruff Middle School website.GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -
A former Spartanburg County teacher who pleaded guilty to having child pornography was sentenced to 40 months in prison on Tuesday.
Mark Soza, 57, of Roebuck was sentenced in federal court in Greenville after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography in April.
Soza was a Spartanburg School District 4 teacher prior to his February arrest. Prosecutor said during Soza's plea hearing that he was a customer of an website under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.
Investigators said Soza used PayPal to pay for access to the child pornography websites.
On Feb. 22, 2012, investigators said Soza confessed and they found that he had an estimated 20,000 illegal images in his possession.
Soza resigned from his teaching job at Woodruff Middle School following his arrest. He had been with the district since 2003.
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