Arrested for Child Pornography in California
I have been getting a lot of calls in the past few years from clients who were arrested for possession or distribution of child pornography. This includes still photographs and videos. These are very tough cases, and they can be brutal if picked up by the fed’s. Recent advances in technology have made it much easier for law enforcement to find potential offenders. Cooperation between internet companies and law enforcement has made locating computers even easier for the cops.
Simply put, assume that your internet provider is “policing” every online move you make. Assume any illegal content you upload or download is going to be either turned over to the cops or at the very least, the cops will be told about it. Once this happens, that is likely enough information for the cops to get a search warrant. Once they get a warrant, the cops will come to your home or business or both. They will take your computers, phones, pads, and other electronic storage devices and keep them until they have a chance to go through everything on them. This includes material which you think has been “erased”.
The cops have entire police teams chasing potential bad guys. They often are familiar with images and have categorized ages, origins, real vs. fake and much more. Their crews are constantly trolling the internet and putting out “requests” or conducting searches for people who have their computers set up to “mule” illegal images or videos. I will get into the concept of “muling” in another blog.
Depending upon what is found, the cops then write up reports and submit the reports to the prosecution for criminal filing. If you are lucky and the case goes only to state court, you may only be looking at a short time in prison or county jail, probation or parole and sex offender registration along with other fees, fines, and conditions of probation or parole. This may include counseling, classes, periodic polygraph testing and more. If you are not so lucky, you may be looking at a mandatory minimum of 15 years in federal custody. Depending upon how the case is charged, the punishment could be devastating.
The worse news is that you could be criminally charged locally, as in where you live or work or use electronic devices or you could be charged elsewhere. You may have read my blog about a year ago where my client was arrested here in Los Angeles and charged with a crime in Georgia. He had never set foot in Georgia. However, he had allegedly accessed some electronic information which originated there. He got arrested and charged in a multiple defendant case in Federal court in Georgia with a bunch of people he had never met, spoken to or even electronically communicated with.
The moral to this story is that it is easier than ever to find and prosecute child pornography cases. If you are the subject of an investigation or if you have already been arrested, you should call a lawyer who is an expert in this type of case. There truly is a lot that can be done to help your case. This is equally true for federal and state cases. Do not speak to law enforcement on your own. There may be, and in federal cases, likely will be an opportunity to talk to help yourself later. But this requires an experienced attorney. Call a lawyer before it is too late.
If you or someone you care about has been arrested for child pornography or any other criminal offense call a lawyer who has the experience and integrity to get the job done:
Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700 or (805) 230-3651
Email me at: jv@4criminaldefense.com
Visit my sites: 4criminaldefense.com or westlakecriminaldefense.com