Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a St. Augustine man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Monday for transporting images and videos of child pornography to Canada.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claims the 67-year-old man used a fake name to send a package from St. Augustine to Ontario containing nearly 600 images and videos of children engaged in sexual acts.
The package was apparently captured by Canadian law enforcement. Authorities then searched the man’s home in September.
A St. Augustine man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Monday for transporting images and videos of child pornography to Canada.
The man admitted that he downloaded the child porn found in the package over several years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was arrested, and he pleaded guilty in October.
Records indicate that the man is a registered sex offender. In 1992, he was convicted of three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child in Hillsborough County.
State and federal law enforcement agencies do not mess around when it comes to investigating and prosecuting child pornography crimes. Whether you have been charged with possession, distribution or production of child pornography, make no mistake that law enforcement and prosecutors alike will seek maximum punishments. If convicted of a child pornography-related offense, the stakes are quite high. Consequences can include lengthy time behind bars, extensive sex offender registration requirements and criminal and civil forfeiture of personal property used in making child pornography, including any financial profits made from child pornography.
Federal statutes criminalize the acts of producing child pornography as well as transporting, transmitting or receiving child pornography in interstate or foreign commerce. If you have been charged with possessing, transporting or distributing child pornography in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Crescent Beach or the surrounding area, you must enlist the help of a St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton as soon as possible so that your rights can be protected. Possessing, distributing or transporting child pornography will affect you for the rest of your life if you are convicted. A conviction could mean you will be required to register as a sex offender in Florida and even on national registries.
For a free initial assessment of your case, please contact us at 866-608-5529.