Former Anchorage radio DJ James Laplante — also known as Jimmy O’Brien — appeared in court Monday.
Laplante was originally charged in December with multiple counts related to child pornography. Monday, he agreed to plead guilty to one consolidated count of distribution of child pornography.
The Anchorage Police Department said they started investigating Laplante’s online activity after Instagram reportedly found 13 images involving the sexual exploitation of children on his account. In a second instance, an image flagged by Google was linked to an IP address at his former place of employment. APD searched his home and office, finding more than 1,000 images of child exploitation.
By pleading guilty, Laplante will face two to 12 years in prison, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his release.
Laplante’s sentencing is scheduled for July 23.