CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ATTORNEY IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

In my experience, the vast majority of people charged with possession of child pornography aren’t sexual predators. Rather, they’re people who clicked the wrong link, downloaded the wrong image, or had no way of knowing that the pornography they viewed depicted someone underage.

These people deserve the absolute best criminal defense services available. That is, they deserve an attorney who is experienced, on their side, and prepared to fiercely defend their rights in a court of law.

HOW CHILD PORNOGRAPHY EVIDENCE IS COLLECTED

Far too often, clients come to me after they’ve said something like this to the police: “Yes, I clicked that link, but didn’t realize what it was.” Or (worse still) they’ve allowed the police to search their computer only to discover incriminating evidence against them — evidence they didn’t even realize was there.

Now I know what you’re thinking: if there were child pornography on your computer, you’d know about it. Unfortunately, though, that may not be the case. Allow me to explain:

• Imagine you open up your email and find a message with a link in it.

• Curious, you follow the link. Maybe you see a pornographic image and immediately hit the Back button; maybe you find that the link doesn’t go anywhere, so you assume the link was broken and move on with your day.

• Unbeknownst to you, clicking that link just downloaded a folder full of pornographic images onto your computer’s hard drive. As it turns out, some of those images happen to include a 16-year-old.

• Later, when police ask if there’s any child porn on your computer, you say, “No, of course not!” because you’re absolutely sure you’re right.

• The offensive images are discovered on your hard drive, and the criminal prosecutor uses them (and your denial of having them) as evidence against you.

This scenario may sound like a stretch, but I assure you, it’s not. Throughout my career as a criminal defense attorney, I’ve seen this happen to far too many people.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES ARE ON THE RISE

Despite the many benefits of today’s data sharing technology, that same technology has caused child pornography to become far too accessible. In fact, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that between 2004 and 2013, the number of people prosecuted for commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) crimes nearly doubled. Recent studies show that child pornography has become even more widespread in the years since.

First and foremost, this ongoing growth of child pornography is a travesty for the true victims involved: the children who are being sexually exploited. That being said, they are not the only victims. Every day, people throughout Pennsylvania are charged with possession of child pornography when in fact they had absolutely no intention of viewing it. Even worse, they must face serious legal penalties if convicted — often including sex offender registration.

HOW TO FIGHT A CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

If you’re under criminal investigation for a child pornography charge, do not admit to anything. Exercise your right to remain silent and contact my law firm immediately. No matter how sure you are that your computer is free of illegal pornography, there could be incriminating files buried deep in your hard drive without you even knowing it.

Possession of child pornography is an intended crime, which means that the prosecution must prove that you intentionally came to possess the material. The more illegal material found on your computer, the stronger their case will be. Fortunately for you, I have been defending those accused of sex crimes since 2001 and know how to build a strong defense on your behalf.