Florida Zookeeper Sentenced For Child Porn Possession

Child porn is alluring, and viewing and possessing it is a crime that has no boundaries. Anyone of any age, race, or occupation can be involved in this crime.

A zookeeper from Palm Beach County was recently sentenced to prison for child porn possession. On December 7, the 31-year-old man from Fort Lauderale was sentenced to 70 months in prison as well as 15 years of supervised release.

In 2019 and 2020, over the course of 18 months, the man obtained child pornography via an online peer-to-peer network. In 2020, law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for the man’s home, located in West Palm Beach. Officers found child porn images on his computers.

The man was an employee of Lion Country Safari, a safari adventure park, at the time. The park was alerted to the investigation in August 2020. The man, who performed animal care duties, was subsequently terminated. There is no evidence that the man’s criminal activities took place at the park, as no explicit images were recovered there.

The man was arrested and pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in October 2020. This case was brought about by Project Safe Childhood, which helps combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The case was investigated by FBI Miami.

Child Porn Defenses

While child porn charges can be hard to defend, a solid defense is possible. It requires a comprehensive knowledge of state and federal laws. Here are some possible defenses:

• Knowledge of possession. Child porn is a knowledge-based crime. The prosecutor must be able to prove that the defendant knew they were in possession of child porn materials. In addition, if the defendant had fewer than three child porn images or videos and promptly deleted them, that could be a defense.
• Accidental possession. Related to the defense above, a person could accidentally become in possession of child porn. This is especially true if your computer became corrupt due to a virus or malware. It is also possible for a hacker to download illegal images onto your computer without your permission or knowledge.
• Subject was not a minor. Child pornography refers to materials in which the subjects are under the age of 18. If it can be proven that the subject was at least 18 years old, then the material in question is not child porn.
• It was erotica. It is possible for materials to contain nude children and not be considered child porn. Erotica refers to literary works that are sexually arousing but not considered to be pornographic.

Contact a Legal Professional for Help

Child porn is something that people from all walks of life enjoy viewing and downloading. The images and videos can be intriguing.

However, child porn possession can lead to serious criminal charges. These charges can occur at the state and federal levels and affect you for many years and even the rest of your life. Get the best representation with help from Florida child pornography lawyer Gilbert A. Schaffnit. To schedule a free consultation, call our office at (352) 505-1799 or fill out the online form.

Resource:

patch.com/florida/miami/zookeeper-gets-prison-time-child-porn-possession-case-doj