A respected Chester County paramedic and ex-Marine was deemed a sexually violent predator and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison today.

Timothy Brian Kauffman, 40, of Coatesville, pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors, stemming from a series of illicit encounters he had with boys ranging in age from 15 to 17 from 1998 through 2006.

Addressing Chester County Court Judge Anthony A. Sarcione, Kauffman apologized to the victims, his family and the community. In attendance were his mother, Dawn Jones, and his sister, Sheree Pealor.

Kauffman described himself as "an open-hearted, kind and caring person" who devoted himself to helping others, beginning at age 14 when he joined a fire company and continuing through his military service in the Persian Gulf war, and his award-filled paramedic work, which included Brandywine Hospital, Uwchlan Ambulance and the Parkesburg Fire Company.

Despite his contrition, Kauffman questioned the validity of a search warrant in the case with a "wrong address" and blamed his prosecution on "jealousy by an angry coworker."

Kauffman said he was simply trying to help some young people "explore a different lifestyle," and he hoped they would not receive harassment, "as I did when I was growing up."

John Shanken-Kaye, a psychologist and member of the state's Sexual Offender Assessment Board, presented a different view.

He testified that Kauffman exhibited a longtime pattern of seeking adolescents for sexual interaction - a disorder for which "no successful treatment" exists. He said Kauffman formed relationships that involved invitations to his house, where alcohol was served, "for the purpose of sexual victimization."

Shanken-Kaye took issue with Kauffman's insistence that the behavior would not have occurred if Kauffman had known it was illegal.

"There's no evidence that Mr. Kauffman tried to avoid situations that tempted him," Shanken-Kaye said.

Under the terms of a plea bargain negotiated between Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Pitts and defense attorney G. Guy Smith, Kauffman will spend five years on probation after he completes his jail term. And because the judge accepted Shanken-Kaye's recommendation that Kauffman qualified as a sexually violent predator, he will be subject to the community notification provisions of Megan's Law.