UNDATED (WSAU) A former U-W Madison student has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for distributing child pornography, and lying about having a mental illness to avoid being punished for it. 23-year-old Matthew Hendrickson of Saint Cloud, Minnesota was arrested in 2010. He told authorities he had hallucinations which made him download and share his 19,000 pornographic images and video files – many of which featured children as the victims of sexual violence.

His attorney said he was surprised to learn that Hendrickson admitted lying to a therapist about the hallucinations. Federal Judge William Conley said Hendrickson wrongly tried to avoid criminal responsibility – and he was trying to stay out of jail until his sentencing yesterday.

Hendrickson was expelled from the U-W in the fall of 2010.