The Internet is either the best invention ever, or the worst. While it has significantly improved our lives, unfortunately, the Internet has led many people down the wrong path. Many people have been charged by both the State and Federal Government with internet related crimes. The vast majority of internet crimes we see at our firm have to do with child pornography (CP). Sadly most of our clients charged with CP have never been in trouble in their lives. We have seen a pattern of men who started by viewing adult , legal pornography. Soon the viewing becomes an addiction and at some point these men cross the line into the illegal world of CP. We believe that this is a disease and can be treated. We have had many clients evaluated by expert doctors, and go through treatment and essentially rid themselves of this horrible addiction. However, the prosecutors at both the State and Federal level prosecute these cases aggressively. The penalties are harsh -- most Statutes call for jail time and registration as a sex offender.
There are defenses to these charges. Inadvertent, unintentional downloads of CP happens often. There are other technical defenses as well. However, treatment and supplying the Court with other mitigating factors usually ends up with the best result. Call us to discuss these cases confidentially.
