Woman Accused of Uploading Child Porn to Google Picasa

A 40-year-old Palm Beach County woman was arrested Wednesday after 13 images of a naked young girl in several sexually suggestive poses were uploaded to Google’s photo sharing service.

The woman faces numerous child pornography and child abuse charges and was held in the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday, with her bond set at $300,000.

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective was apparently assigned to investigate Aug. 1, after the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children received a Cybertip that a Google Picasa user had uploaded images of child pornography on July 24.

Detectives were able to use the email address linked with the Google Picasa account to find Facebook and Myspace profiles showing pictures of the girl, ultimately leading them to the accused.

On Aug. 2, the detective and a Department of Children and Families investigator went to the woman’s home to speak with her. Police claim she admitted to taking nude pictures of the girl, but denied that they were sexually suggestive.

However, after further questioning, the woman allegedly confessed that she had taken pictures of the girl in sexually suggestive poses.

According to the arrest report, the woman told investigators that the girl was “obsessed” with female and male genitals and “constantly” asks to have her genitals photographed.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office obtained a search warrant to search the woman’s laptop, cellphone and iPod on Monday. The investigation is pending, according to deputies.

The girl was interviewed on Wednesday and allegedly told police that the woman had taken pictures of her while naked in several different poses.

The arrest report also noted that the girl received a medical examination that showed “positive for signs of sexual abuse.”

The woman allegedly volunteered to undergo an interview while being monitored by a Computerized Voice Stress Analysis on Wednesday.

The arrest report indicates that the woman showed deception on 3 of 4 questions asked.

The woman admitted that she took and stored the nude pictures of the girl on her phone, but denied uploading them to Picasa, according to the report.

The woman faces 10 charges, including eight counts of possession of obscene material depicting a child involved in sexual conduct, one count of cruelty to a child, allowing the child to engage in sex, and one count of cruelty to a child and promoting the sexual performance of a child.

Child pornography has become a nationwide problem in recent years, which is why both state and federal law enforcement agencies pour numerous time and resources into cracking down on these types of crimes. Child pornography charges are taken quite seriously by police and prosecutors, so if you have been accused of this crime it is important to not ignore the situation and protect your rights by enlisting the help of a Palm Beach County Sex Crimes Lawyer.

Even if you think the evidence against you is overwhelming, not every accusation of child pornography leads to a conviction. Once you have been charged with child pornography, the investigation process can take weeks, even months. While law enforcement agents work to bring evidence against you, a Palm Beach County Child Pornography Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton can gather evidence that may work to your favor. We can aggressively defend you against child pornography-related charges and work to cast doubt that you could be guilty of the crime.

If you have been accused of child pornography, a Palm Beach County Sex Crimes Attorney at Whittel & Melton can help you achieve the best possible outcome in your case. For a free consultation, call us statewide and toll-free at 866-608-5529 or fill out our free online contact form.