New York City ? Former Newsday Publisher Robert Johnson was sentenced Friday to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release, continued sexual offender treatment and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to charges of possession of child pornography and obstruction of justice.

Johnson, who left Newsday in 1994 after a 12-year-career, wept as U.S. District Court Judge Richard Howell read him his sentence. A sentence of 27 to 33 months in prison in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines had been recommended, but Howell said he gave Johnson a lesser sentence because of Johnson’s “exceptional” community service throughout his life and because he believed that Johnson had rehabilitated himself.

Johnson admitted in August that he had downloaded child pornography from a Web site and then attempted to cover up the action by trying to delete the pictures, according to officials.