U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell cited the woman's repeated abuse of her children, then both under 7, in handing down the maximum sentence available for sexual exploitation charges.

The children's stepfather recorded their mother performing sex acts on them and then put the images on the Internet. The Salt Lake Tribune is not naming the defendants or relatives to protect the children's privacy.

In a tearful statement to the judge, the boys' biological father said they are having difficulty adjusting to a normal life.

"My sons are forever scarred by the pain and anguish of what she has done to them," he said. "I thought I could trust their mother to keep them safe."

The father said he now often has to reassure his sons whenever they see lightning, as it reminds them of the flash of having pictures taken during the abuse.

An attorney representing the mother asked Cassell to consider Monday that the mother did not instigate the abuse but was under the control of her husband.

Prosecutors rebuffed that by citing the frequency of the abuse - the mother has estimated she had sexual contact with the children 10 to 15 times and the stepfather has estimated a larger number.

On Monday, the boys' biological father said they told him the abuse was almost daily.

The crimes occurred in 2003, from January to September, while the family lived in Tremonton. The stepfather will be sentenced on similar charges in May.