Christopher Handley, the Iowa manga collector who in May pleaded guilty to obscenity charges, was sentenced today to six months in prison.

Following his prison term, Handley will serve three years of supervised release and five years of probation. He faced up to 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.

Handley pleaded guilty last year to possessing "obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children and mailing obscene material." His case began in May 2006, when customs agents reportedly intercepted a mail package from Japan addressed to Handley containing what they deemed to be obscene material, "including books containing visual representations of the sexual abuse of children, specifically Japanese manga drawings of minor females being sexually abused by adult males and animals." Agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service obtained a warrant to search Handley's Glenwood, Iowa, home, where they seized "additional obscene drawings of the sexual abuse of children."

Handley was indicted in May 2007 under a federal law that prohibits the possession any visual depiction -- including cartoons -- of "a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct that is obscene."

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund became a special consultant for the defense in October 2008.

According to Anime Vice, Handley won't be required to register as a sex offender. However, he must forfeit all seized materials, including his computer. He'll also have to "participate in a treatment program, to include psychological testing and a polygraph examination" during his supervised release and probation.

Anime News Network provides a thorough overview of the case.