Phillip Greaves, the man extradited from his home state of Colorado to Florida for for writing, publishing and selling a contentious book considered a “how-to” for pedophiles pleaded no contest to criminal charges in exchange for two years’ probation Thursday.
According to MSNBC, Greaves was arrested in Colorado and extradited to Polk County, Florida. Detectives were able to establish jurisdiction in Florida through an undercover operation where they purchased a copy of the book “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover’s Code of Conduct” through the mail. Police paid $50 for the book that came autographed by Greaves on Dec. 8, 2010.
Greaves and his book gained momentous attention last year when Amazon.com defended selling the book on its web site despite many outraged comments, threats and boycotts from thousands of people. The book was removed from the web site in early November.
Greaves told reporters that his book serves as a rehabilitation guide for pedophiles that shows them how to avoid illegal actions. Police said the book features chapters about safe sex and avoiding injury to children, grooming and preparing children for sex and teaching children how to lie to their parents. There is even an outlined code of ethics in the book that tells pedophiles how to select the most vulnerable children.
Greaves has never admitted he is a pedophile, just that he has sex with adults and does not have children nor does he keep them around his home.
Greaves will serve out his probation in Colorado and does not have to register as a sex offender; however, he does have to continue mental health counseling.
A plea agreement is a deal reached with the prosecutor where the defendant exchanges their right to go to trial for a particular punishment. However, in Florida, and especially in high profile or extremely sensitive files, the judge is not bound by any agreement reached by the prosecutor and the defendant. The Judge must still accept the terms of any sentence because ultimately the court is the only party able to sentence the defendant. Typically, most plea agreements are honored by the court as a function of contract law. It is worth noting that as long as Florida Judges, and prosecutors for that matter also, are elected there will always be political pressures on the bench to handle files in a certain matter.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for a sex crime in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers 24/7 online or call 866-608-5529.