Former pastor given 17 years in prison

By Brad Kellar

Royse City – A former pastor is sentenced to prison in a federal pornography case.

36-year-old Steve Richardson received a 17 prison term Monday and was given a lifetime of supervised release. Richardson is the former pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Royse City.

Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to two federal counts; one alleging transporting and shipping child pornography and one alleging the possession of child pornography.

Richardson has been in federal custody since his arrest in September, 2008.