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Florida Man Convicted Of 20 Counts Of Child Pornography

It didn’t take long for a Florida jury to convict a man of child pornography charges. A jury deliberated for just 20 minutes until they decided on a guilty verdict.

The 44-year-old man from Summerfield was found guilty on February 2. He started at the clerk and stood next to his lawyer as the verdict was announced. He told his family members “I love you guys” as he was arrested and led back to Marion County Jail. The trial was held in Ocala at the Marion County Judicial Center.

The man was found guilty of 20 charges of child porn possession. He faces sentencing in March.

The man’s history with child porn crimes stems back to June 2017. That was when he was taken into custody after Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials found 20 sexually explicit child porn screenshots on his phone. Officials have received tips about child porn being uploaded to the man’s email account. Detectives found the man’s phone and discovered that the screenshots appeared in late 2016.

The man denied possession of both the email account and cellphone. However, the cellphone was found among the man’s personal items at the Marion County Jail.

In September 2018, the man was released on bond. He was arrested again in January 2019, as there was a warrant for his arrest after he committed domestic battery by strangulation.

During the trial, the prosecutor played an interview in which the man denied the child porn charges. The man’s lawyer claimed that the man should be acquitted because there was no proof that he viewed the child porn images nor that his phone was even working. The circuit judge denied the motion and allowed the trial to continue.

After closing arguments, jurors started to deliberate at 4:30 p.m. and were done at 4:50 p.m. AT that time, they reached a guilty verdict.

Child Porn Defenses

While the man’s lawyer tried to defend the man on the premise that there was no proof the man had viewed the images, child porn cases need a stronger defense, such as the following:

  • Unintentional possession. In this case, you didn’t mean to have the images in your possession. It’s also likely that you may not have even been aware of them. This often happens on shared computers and in cases of revenge.
  • Illegal search and seizure. It is possible that police lied to get a warrant and then they searched computers or devices that were not named in the warrant. This is illegal.
  • Not child porn. Sexually explicit images are not child porn if it can be proven that the actors are over the age of 18.

Contact a Legal Professional for Help

Child porn crimes are punished harshly in Florida. Given that it only took 20 minutes to agree on a verdict, jurors found it clear that the man was guilty.

That’s why you need a solid defense for these types of criminal accusations. Seek legal help from a Florida child pornography lawyer at The Law Offices of Gilbert A. Schaffnit. We’ll help you protect your rights and freedom. Schedule a consultation 24/7 by calling (352) 505-1799 or filling out the online form.

Resource:

ocala.com/story/news/courts/2022/02/03/marion-county-florida-man-found-guilty-child-porn-possession/6641487001/

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