Former spokesman for Florida’s child welfare agency gets more than 24 years for child porn

Ex-Fla. official gets 24 years for child porn

TAMPA, Fla. — A former spokesman for Florida’s child welfare agency is going to prison for more than 24 years for taking nude pictures of teenage boys.

Al Zimmerman, 41, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Tampa. Prosecutors say he took nude photos of at least seven teenage boys for distribution to overseas pornographers. One of the children was identified as a foster child in the care of the agency.

Zimmerman pleaded guilty in January to a charge of producing child pornography.

The former TV newsman was the media liaison for the Florida Department of Children and Families. He was fired after his arrest in February 2008.