Nowlin Ewaliko, a 20-year-old former San Diego State University football player, received a 180-day sentence in county jail followed by two years probation after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.
San Diego Police Department investigators said they found the child porn on an Apple iCloud account linked to the 20-year-old, who was also ordered to register as a sex offender. The San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force handled the investigation.
In court, Ewaliko’s attorney Marc Carlos said his client should get probation and no jail time because his life being changed forever is punishment enough.
“It's devastating to him,” Carlos said. “I mean, he was a kid when this happened and he's still a kid. And it's very difficult for him to come to grips with the fact that this will impact the rest of his life."
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Carlos said Ewaliko was on the right path and had a promising future as a star football player, but now he will have a hard time getting into a university, getting a job and leading a normal life.
Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy pushed back and said the prosecution’s request had nothing to do with Ewaliko’s status and everything to do with the crime he committed.
“Counsel has been portraying the defendant as a victim,” McCarthy said. “That is absolutely not what he is. He's not a victim in this case. In fact, his conduct perpetuates this horrendous underground industry that targets child victims.”
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Ewaliko was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody after hearing his sentence. He’s also in therapy and ordered to continue going. If he violates his probation, he could be sent to prison for two years.
