Recently a South Florida man was arrested after investigators discovered that he had in his possession more than 1,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexual activities. According to police reports, the images and videos were stored on an external hard drive attached to a laptop computer. The 50-year-old man has been charged with 200 felony counts of possessing sexual performance child pornographyas well as a single count of computer pornography. The man awaits trial in Martin County jail, and bail has been set at $2,010,000.
Investigators determined the whereabouts of this man through his IP address. Police can monitor IP addresses to identify users who attempt to share child porn images and video online. The man's internet provider gave the police the physical address registered to that IP address after being compelled by a court subpoena. Subsequently, the police issued a warrant for the arrest of the man and raided his home in the early morning.
Possession of child pornography is an extremely serious offense. In Florida prosecutors can seek a third degree felony charge. If convicted, an offender can be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to five years in prison for each offense of viewing, control or possession of child pornography. Penalties may be more severe for individuals with previous felony convictions. In some instances convicted parties may have to register with the Florida Sex Offender Database.
Individuals being investigated for any crimes relating to child pornography should immediately contact an experienced attorney who can help protect their rights.
