Former Swim Club President Gets 18 Months For Child Porn

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — The former president and CEO of a Timonium area swim club pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to distributing child pornography.  

Mary Bubala reports Ira "Fred" Rigger will serve time in prison for the crime.

Rigger, 56, will serve 18 months behind bars after admitting he distributed child pornography.

Rigger, the former CEO of Padonia Park Club and Pool, will also serve five months probation, register as a sex offender and is forbidden to be around children.

The plea agreement also says Rigger must have supervision around his 8-month-old grandson.

"This isn't someone who's trading baseball cards," said Keith Pion, Assistant State's Attorney. "This is somebody who's trading images of a child who underwent abuse, and exploitation and whose image and exploitation continues to be passed and traded throughout the Internet."

Last month, Rigger was arrested as both the FBI and Baltimore County police investigators tracked his IP address online to explicit child pornography.

Investigators say they found disturbing and illegal images on the computer at his Cockeysville home and on a laptop at the Padonia Park Club and Pool.

Rigger will receive treatment while he's incarcerated at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

His attorney maintains Rigger is not a pedophile.

Police say there's no evidence Rigger had inappropriate contact with children at the pool.

"They want everyone to know that the Padonia Park Pool is still a very beautiful, safe environment for family and children," said David Irwin, Rigger's attorney.

After his arrest in June, Rigger was banned from the property which his family has owned for decades.

His financial stake in the club is in the process of being removed.

The FBI says it will not pursue its case against Rigger as long as he meets the terms of his plea agreement.