A former guard at the privately run prison in Youngstown is going to prison after being convicted of seeking to have sex with a juvenile.

Judge Maureen Sweeney has sentenced 32-year-old Richard Kozak of Youngstown to six months in the state penitentiary.

Kozak pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of importuning and possessing criminal tools.

It was nearly one year ago that Kozak was arrested by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after authorities say he was involved in sexually explicit conversations with a 15-year-old.

According to investigators, Kozak was employed as a correctional officer at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center and engaged in conversations during work hours.

CoreCivic, the company that operates the facility, cooperated with the investigation.

As part of his sentencing, Kozak will be required to register as a Tier 1 sex offender when he completes his sentence.