Florida Deputy Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Possession, Sex With Minor

Of all people, police officers should know better than to engage in crimes such as possessing child porn and having sex with underage girls. However, for some reason or another, law enforcement officials perform illegal acts until they get caught and face harsh penalties.

A Florida police deputy is facing charges for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. The 37-year-old man also pled guilty to federal child pornography charges. The man was caught producing and possessing images of children being sexually abused.

The incident began in December. The deputy began communicating with the 15-year-old girl through an online chat app, but he had met her several months earlier at a convenience store. The two exchanged sexually explicit photos and would have sex weekly. The man would sneak into her home in Green Grove Springs and the two would have sex after her parents went to sleep.

Police were contacted in April after the girl’s mother found out that the two were having sex. Detectives pretended to be the girl and took over her chat account. They communicated with the man and made arrangements for him to meet at the girl’s home. On May 2, the man arrived at the girl’s home in his patrol vehicle. He was later arrested.

Police reviewed the man’s cellphone and discovered multiple conversations between the man and the girl. They also found an encrypted secure digital folder that contained many images of child sexual abuse.

The man once worked as a deputy for Clay County. He faces up to 50 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.

Child Porn as a Federal Crime

The police deputy in this case is facing federal charges for child porn crimes. This is not all that uncommon. Child porn possession and production can be federal crimes if the images crossed state lines.

Under federal law, sexually explicit conduct is defined as graphic or lascivious sexual intercourse that exhibits genitals or pubic areas, sadistic or masochistic abuse, simulated masturbation or simulated bestiality. The federal sentencing guidelines allow for enhanced penalties if it can be proven that the child in the images is under 12 years old or that the images are sadistic or masochistic in nature. Each count of child porn possession can result in a five-year prison sentence. For each count of child pornography production, a person can face 15 years in prison. However, the potential sentence can vary, based on aggravating factors such as the children’s ages, the number of images, any pattern of abuse, whether violence was involved and whether the images were distributed.

Contact a Legal Professional for Help

Sex with a minor is illegal, no matter the circumstances. So is child porn, and that is something that police officers should know.

Federal charges are very serious. You could face many years in jail. Get the help you need from Florida child pornography lawyer Gilbert A. Schaffnit. We have an aggressive team that will help you build a solid defense. Fill out the online form or call (352) 505-1799 to schedule a free consultation.

Resource:

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