SJ Chef Faces 3 Years for Child Porn

Former owner of Emile's Restaurant pleads no contest to a felony charge

An award-winning local chef pleaded no contest to a felony child porn charge.

Emile Mooser, 76, was the former owner of San Jose's popular Emile's Restaurant, which he sold in 2007.

Mooser spent around $400 on child porn using PayPal from 2006 to 2007, according to federal documents. Police also found a CD with hundreds of photos of young girls on it, most looked under 12 years old.

Mooser was arrested back in September and has been out on bail. Initially, he pleaded not guilty and it looked like he was going to fight the charge.

"Mr. Mooser has an excellent reputation in this community and has contributed in many ways," his lawyer Sam Polverino said.

But he changed his plea last week, which means he now faces up to three years in prison with no trial. He also has to register as a sex offender.

Mooser seems to be getting in all sorts of trouble these days. The new owners of Emile's Restaurant are suing him for $2.1 million. They say he concealed important information when he sold the restaurant.

The new owners probably aren't happy about the child porn developments. Who wants to eat at a restaurant named after a sex offender?

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