PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The former Providence priest convicted of downloading hundreds of images and videos of child pornography has lost a bid to overturn his conviction. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld Father James Jackson's conviction on Monday. The 68-year-old was sentenced to six years behind bars earlier this year for receipt of child pornography. Jackson was arrested in November 2021 after detectives identified an IP address that was sharing “child sexual abuse materials” through a peer-to-peer network. That IP address was eventually traced back to the rectory at St. Mary's, where Jackson was living at the time, according to prosecutors. Detectives uncovered more than 12,000 images and 1,300 videos depicting child sexual abuse on Jackson's computer and an external hard drive, both of which were reportedly found in his bedroom. RELATED: Former RI priest gets 6 year for downloading child porn Jackson's attorney argued that the warrant used to search the rectory "lacked sufficient particularity as to the place to be searched because it did not specify an individual suspect or residence within the rectory ... notwithstanding the warrant's acknowledgement and the executing officers' knowledge as a result of the search that more than one resident lived in the rectory," according to the panel's decision. The decision, which was written by Judge Bruce Selya, noted that the warrant defined the rectory as a single-unit dwelling because the property "did not have separate or independent entrances, doorbells or mailboxes." "The warrant acknowledged, and the executing officers' search confirmed, that more than one resident lived in the rectory," wrote Selya, who's a Rhode Island native. "But this fact alone does not negate the validity of the warrant." Selya added that, even though more than one person lived there, the property "largely lacked indicia of a multi-unit dwelling, such as separate living spaces." "On the whole, the property to be searched was described as accurately as could be reasonably expected," Selya said. The panel determined that the warrant's description of the items to be seized was sufficient, especially since detectives traced the IP address back to the rectory. The decision also explained that it was reasonable for officers to seize Jackson's laptop and hard drive based on their knowledge of the investigation. Jackson was released into the custody of his sister, who lives in Kansas, following his initial court appearance. He was arrested again last July, when detectives in Kansas learned the former priest was once again downloading and disseminating child pornography. While searching his bedroom, prosecutors said detectives found a computer and external hard drive. The detectives noticed that a number of files "with names indicative of child sexual abuse" had been deleted from the external hard drive. Jackson returned to Rhode Island following his arrest in Kansas and eventually pleaded guilty to the child pornography charge. He sent a letter to his former parishioners back in August, in which he apologized for "vile sin into which [he] fell," according to a sentencing memo. “I'm sorry at a level I’ve never experienced before," he wrote. "I'm ashamed beyond any shame I've known." Jackson told investigators he was sexually abused numerous times when he was 10 years old, which likely resulted in his addiction to child pornography, the sentencing memo added. In addition to his six-year prison sentence, Jackson must serve five years of federal supervised release, register as a sex offender and pay the court $22,000 in penalties, plus restitution to victims of child pornography. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW