In our digital age, the potential to electronically store a warehouse of images is possible. However, one Florida man may be regretting that technological possibility — or, at least, his decision to take advantage of it.
According to reports, a 39-year-old Florida man was allegedly caught with about 27,000 child pornography videos or images stored on his laptop and external hard drive. Officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement seized this evidence after entering the man’s house with a search warrant.
Florida officials have not disclosed how the man initially came under their scrutiny about two months ago. However, the man was already a registered sex offender, stemming from a sex crime conviction almost 20 years ago. The previous crime allegedly involved sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 16. Regardless of their initial motivations, Florida authorities apparently investigated the man until they had enough probable cause to apply for a search warrant.
Due to the massive amount of illegal images, the man has been charged with 25 counts of child pornography possession. The man was also charged with a registry violation for failing to update his information with a new email address.
As this post illustrates, sex crimes penalties can last a lifetime, even after an individual has been released from prison. In this case, the man’s nearly 20-year-old conviction may have made him a target of a sting operation. In addition, his failure to update his email address may result in severe penalties. As many sex crime defense attorneys might caution, an aggressive defense for anyone facing such charges should consider potential plea bargaining or other strategies to minimize potential penalties.
Source: tampabay.com, “Zephyrhills man arrested on child porn charges had thousands of videos,” Alex Orlando, June 20, 2013