ALEXANDRIA -- A federal judge has rejected arguments from a former civilian contractor in Iraq who said that his sentence for possessing child pornography should be lighter to more closely align with what military personnel would face.

Ira L. Waltrip, who drove a bus in Iraq for contractor KBR Inc., was sentenced today in federal court in Alexandria to 41 months in prison.

His lawyer argued the term was unfair because Waltrip was doing the same work and taking the same risks in Iraq as would a soldier. And, that military personnel convicted of similar crimes in courts martial typically receive far lighter sentences.

But U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III rejected the argument. He said contractors and military personnel should be treated differently, in part because contractors receive much higher pay. -- The Associated Press