Ryan Curving, a 50-year-old retired Paterson police sergeant, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography in the Texas Gulf Coast town where he lives.

Curving, who retired in 2021 after 25 years in the Paterson Police Department, pleaded guilty to his crimes last year, said the United States attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

Curving sent child pornography to five other people through the Kik Messenger app, officials said. The app, according to federal authorities, is known for the trading of child pornography and pictures of relatives as well as discussions and fantasies of familial sexual abuse.

“Curving hid behind a computer and watched helpless minor children being raped and abused,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “It is deplorable that someone who worked as an officer for 25 years and took an oath to serve and protect the public did just the opposite.

“This sentence demonstrates our dedication to holding anyone — regardless of their background — accountable for their part in the exchange of images that do nothing more than harm innocent lives,” Hamdani added.

Curving was promoted to sergeant in Paterson in 2016. He was among the group of city cops accused in a lawsuit of using excessive force in 2011 on two men involved in a shooting with an off-duty officer.

A video recording of that incident showed several Paterson police officers kicking the men while they were lying unconscious on the ground. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office did not file any criminal charges against the cops who did the kicking, a decision made at a time before a social justice campaign began highlighting cases of police wrongdoing.

The city ended up paying more than $600,000 to settle the lawsuit.

New Jersey treasury records say Curving is collecting an annual pension of $93,540. State officials generally do not reduce or eliminate retirees’ pensions for crimes committed after they leave their public jobs.

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Curving, who lives in Texas City in Galveston County, will also serve 10 years on supervised release after completion of his prison term, authorities said. He will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Federal authorities executed a search warrant at Curving’s home in December 2022. Officials said he admitted to creating a second Kik account after his first one was terminated when administrators found child pornography in it.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Retired cop sentenced in child porn distribution case