A 23-year-old St. Johns County man faces five to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to receiving child pornography over the Internet.
A sentencing date for the man has not yet been set.
Court documents show that an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Jacksonville began an undercover investigation last year to identify people in the area who had access to child porn and were trading these illegal images and videos over the Internet.
The agent established that a computer in the area was hosting images of child pornography using a specific peer-to-peer file sharing program. The agent was apparently able to connect with the computer and successfully downloaded several video files depicting child pornography directly from that same computer. The agent then tracked the subscriber information back to the accused’s home in St. Johns County.
FBI agents and other officers executed a search warrant at the man’s home on Feb. 26, 2013. They apparently seized several computers and other items of electronic media. Police claim the man told them that he uses the same file sharing program as the one detected by the undercover agent.
The man apparently said he had four or five videos of child pornography on his computer that he watched and saved. The children on the videos ranged in age from 8 to 15 years old, according to reports.
Police claim that a search of the man’s computer revealed 838 videos, at least 50 of which displayed minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Internet child pornography offenses are generally charged as federal crimes. If you’re convicted of receiving child pornography there’s a five year mandatory minimum prison sentence, not to mention enhancements that can be tacked on that could very well create a life sentence. Enhancements can include the age of the children in the photos or videos, the types of sexual acts depicted, the number of photos or videos in your possession, whether you distributed the material and whether you received the material through the Internet or by mail.
If you are facing federal child pornography charges, understand that it is never too soon or too late to speak with a sex crimes defense lawyer. Whether you have been charged with possessing child porn or have been falsely accused of receiving it, your future, freedom and reputation are on the line.
For help fighting these charges, please call a Florida Federal Child Pornography Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton at 866-608-5529 or contact our firm online to arrange a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case and any viable defense options.