Being arrested by the Lake County police for being involved in child pornography can completely uproot your life. In addition to prison time and expensive fines, a conviction may restrict your ability to work, find a place to live, vote, and engage in other aspects of society, along with familial and other interpersonal consequences.
Our law firm provides targeted and nonjudgmental criminal defense to people accused of all types of crimes, including sex offenses. We understand the social stigma associated with these charges, and we could fight for you to help keep these off your record. A Lake County child pornography lawyer on our team could develop a potent strategy to protect your rights and dignity.
As defined in Florida Statutes § 847.001, child pornography includes anything that shows or portrays someone under 18 years of age engaged in sexual conduct. Likewise, this includes images or materials manipulated to look like a child is doing something sexual. Sexual conduct, as defined by the law, encompasses various behaviors, including direct contact with or the exposure of genitals.
Under Fla. Stat. § 847.011, it is illegal for someone to have, sell, lend, create, or view materials depicting sexual acts involving minors. This includes pornographic videos, books, drawings, or photographs. Likewise, if someone offers to do any of those things—e.g., tries to sell or rent child porn for or to someone—this also violates the law.
If you are caught using children to produce sexual content, you may also face additional charges on top of the child pornography offense. For example, the government may accuse you of committing a sexual battery in violation of Fla. Stat. § 794.011. Our Lake County attorneys have years of training in developing responsive defense strategies for child pornography.
In many cases, a conviction for a child porn offense may be a felony, which, under Fla. Stat. §§ 775.082, 775.083, and 775.084, may result in a prison sentence of up to five years or more and fines of $5,000 or more. If you have a prior record of violent or sexual offenses, the prosecution may use this to increase the amount of jail time you serve or the fees you have to pay. Likewise, you may lose the right to vote or own a gun, along with your ability to work in certain sectors, such as early childhood education.
Having a Lake County attorney to fight for your rights can help you minimize the impact of a child pornography charge on your life. We could use the knowledge and resources at our disposal to craft compelling arguments to use in your favor so you can get back to living your life.
Lake County law enforcement tends to take a weighty approach when investigating and prosecuting these charges; unlike other types of crimes, defenses such as consent or lack of knowledge of the person’s age may not be available to you. That said, there are ways to fight against these charges and help you reclaim your life after the arrest.
Often, the most effective approach is finding fatal flaws in how the Lake County police department arrested you and searched your belongings. For example, you might point out that they did not have the authority—such as a warrant or probable cause—to knock on your door in the first place. Along those same lines, you might show that the officer did not read you your rights before you answered questions in custody.
Additionally, you may be able to prove that law enforcement set you up through entrapment rather than catching you doing something of your own accord. If you were unaware a device, such as a friend’s computer, contained sexual content involving minors, you can also use this to your advantage in court. A Lake County attorney could use these and other tactics to try to prove your innocence of the child pornography charges against you.
Having the government accuse you of committing a sexual crime involving a child can have devastating consequences on your life. Your ability to participate in elections, own a gun, and live anywhere you want may be taken from you or greatly limited. Having a criminal defense attorney advocate for you during the court case may help give you peace of mind.
For decades, our law firm has stood by those accused of serious offenses, such as sex crimes involving children. We understand you may have concerns as you go through the legal process, and we are here to help give you clarity about what to expect and how we might assist you. Reach out to a Lake County child pornography lawyer at our firm today to schedule a no-obligation consultation.