Mundelein man begins 14-year sentence for child porn

A Mundelein man who once coached ice skating and was convicted in 1985 of sexually abusing a child in DuPage County was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to new charges of possessing child pornography.

Edward Bernas, 63, was taken into federal custody today. He pleaded guilty last October to the federal child pornography charges. In February 2008, investigators discovered at least 500 images and 15 videos depicting children engaged in sexual conduct stored on his personal computer, prosecutors said.

Previously, Bernas was sentenced to two years probation in 1985 in DuPage County after he was convicted of criminal sexual abuse and indecent liberties with a child, federal prosecutors said. Bernas was living in Naperville at the time of that crime and coaching competitive ice skating in Downers Grove during the early 1980s.

A victim in that case testified at Bernas' federal sentencing hearing that Bernas had “earned her trust, lured her into his home and molested her,” prosecutors said.

Bernas was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

He must serve 85 percent of his sentence and also was ordered to pay restitution to one of the victims whose image was stored on his computer.