A 53-year-old man has been sentenced to a significant prison term for child pornography. The man was accused of Internet sex crimes, including the manufacture and distribution of child pornography to an international group of alleged child predators. News reports show that the man will spend more than 27 years in custody after pleading guilty to the allegations. He is also required to pay $92,360 in criminal restitution to his victim. The man will further be subject to the provisions of supervised release for the rest of his natural life after he is released. The man was convicted in federal court.
Information from the man’s criminal proceedings show that he was targeted by Homeland Security Investigations’ center for cyber crime. An adult male was seen in several images, allegedly assaulting a child between the ages of four and six. Those child porn images first appeared on the Web in October 2012. A subsequent inquiry found that a man performed sex acts on the child with the explicit purpose of making child porn. There was no distinction in media reports as to whether the man performing the sex acts was the defendant. However, he was charged with the porn distribution that originated in North Carolina’s neighboring state of South Carolina.
Authorities say that the man’s large cache of child porn led them to other alleged offenders. The man’s social network led to seven additional domestic arrests. Five others were found in England, Israel and Germany.
The defendant in this case decided to enter a guilty plea. Although guilty pleas are useful in some cases, they are not appropriate for all criminal defendants. North Carolina criminal defense attorneys may help those accused of Internet sex crimes learn more about the nature of the charges they face. A qualified defense attorney may provide advice and education in a variety of criminal proceedings.
Source: Myrtle Beach Online, “Little River man sentenced on child pornography charges” David Wren, Jan. 08, 2014