GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- A northwest Michigan man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of child molesting.

A jury found Clifford Francis Gould Jr. guilty of four counts of aggravated child sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. The Suttons Bay man was sentenced Friday in federal court in Grand Rapids.

Prosecutors say the 47-year-old Gould sexually assaulted three girls under the age of 12 at his home from April 2005 through May 2007.

Defense lawyer Helen Nieuwenhuis (NOO'-wehn-hys) argued for the mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years, citing Gould's health problems and no prior criminal record.