Child pornography charges or convictions are in the news on a constant basis. The FBI says that the large number of incidents of child pornography is attributable to the Internet, which has made this type of material more readily available. Technology has also made such a crime easier for law enforcement to investigate and prove a case against someone so accused. Many times there is a paper trail for this type of crime that the FBI is able to access. Child pornography charges often result in a conviction. Child pornography investigations are carried out in one of the Bureau’s 56 field offices by Child Exploitation Task Forces that integrate FBI resources with those of other law enforcement agencies, including those at the state and local levels. There are almost 400 law enforcement partner groups that engage in these task forces and are aided by FBI intelligence analysts, victim consultants, and subject matter authorities. Due to the nature of the Internet, many child pornography crimes involve people in other countries. The FBI’s legal attaché offices in more than 60 nations work with these countries on such investigations. Those accused of child pornography are of all backgrounds, and many do not have any sort of criminal history. These crimes often occur on the “dark web,” a place where their true identity can be hidden. Many times friends and family member have no idea that this person takes part in such activities. Those eventually charged with child pornography possession often never suspect that they are being watched by the FBI.

The FBI dedicates such resources because it perceives child pornography to be a huge problem. For example, Tor is an anonymous Internet network on the dark web. Just one website on Tor hosted 1.3 million images of minors being subjected to violent sexual abuse, according to the FBI. In addition, an FBI investigation of one website on Tor had about 200,000 registered users, and 100,000 people had used the website over the course of the 12 days studied.

Contact a Chicago, IL Child Pornography Defense Attorney

The FBI devotes substantial resources to the investigation of possible child pornography crimes. It also has a network of other agencies spanning the globe to help them accomplish the task of bringing charges against as many people possible.

You cannot defend against these charges alone. At Law Offices of Hal M. Garfinkel LLC, Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney, our trusted Chicago, IL federal crimes lawyer has represented many people accused of serious crimes by the FBI and the federal government. Put his experience to work for you. Call our office at 312-629-0669 to set up a free consultation.

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Online solicitation of a minor is a crime that is aggressively tried by federal prosecutors. If you are convicted, you could face many years in prison. You also may be facing personal consequences like marriage difficulties and social ostracization.

For these reasons, you need to retain counsel that will take any and all steps to investigate your case and what evidence the government has implicating you in the crime. This will likely involve having the computer and other hardware seized by the government cloned so that the defense attorney and defense forensic experts can review the data.

Online solicitation of a minor is a federal crime set forth in 18 U.S. Code § 2422. That section states that using the internet to knowingly persuade, induce, entice or coerce any minor to engage in any unlawful sexual activity or to attempt to do so is illegal.

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It is surprising but true: child pornography sentences are longer than sex contact crimes perpetrated against minors such as rape or molestation. This holds true whether the convictions take place in state or federal court.

Experts believe that this differential can be attributed to the type of evidence presented at child porn and sex contact crime trials. In sex contact crimes trials, testimony is often a key component of the government’s case. Testimony can often be conflicting between witnesses. This is especially true where children are witnesses. There is often also difficulty gathering physical evidence in sex contact crimes.

In contrast, child pornography cases typically involve firmer evidence. Child pornography possession is essentially a strict liability crime; if a person is found to be in possession of the contraband, he or she will likely be convicted. The physical evidence is often on a computer or other piece of technology. There is usually no “he said, she said” testimony.

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If you are suspected of or have been charged with child pornography possession or related crime, you may be wondering what possible sentences you will receive if you are convicted or plead guilty to child pornography charges.

It is important to understand what is on the line for your life and your family’s life if you are facing these types of charges. One thing to keep in mind is that federal child pornography sentences often include registering as a sex offender, which carries with it additional costs and requirements.

Child Pornography Sentences Keep Getting Longer

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The general term “federal child pornography charges” can refer to several different crimes based on the facts and circumstances of a case. These crimes are closely related, and you can be charged with multiple offenses at the same time.

Our firm treats those accused of federal child pornography charges with professionalism and dignity. We believe that everyone is entitled to a defense and to legal counsel that will argue zealously for your in court.

What Is Child Pornography and Related Offenses?

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