Child Pornography
Child pornography cases are taken very seriously both at the federal and state levels. A charge of creation, possession, or distribution of child pornography can result in a permanent criminal record, required registration as a sex offender, and a lengthy period of incarceration if you are convicted of child pornography crimes.
Responding to charges related to child pornography is not something you should try to do alone. The experienced Mesa criminal defense lawyers at Rowley Chapman & Barney, Ltd. are experts in defending these types of cases and understand the laws related to child pornography.
If You Are Accused or Arrested Call Us First!
We Can Be Reached 24/7
Brian Strong: (480) 833-2341
Why Hire A Child Pornography Defense Attorney?
To protect the innocent
To safeguard important rights
To Challenge police conduct or suppress evidence
To ensure that the punishment is not excessive and fits the behavior
To Locate expert witnesses
To Locate polygraphers; and
To Negotiate the best possible plea agreement
Our Child Pornography Defense Attorneys Can Help You
What is Considered Child Pornography in Arizona?
Arizona’s child pornography law is found in (Arizona Revised Statues) ARS § 13-3553: Sexual Exploitation of a minor. A person can be charged with a violation of this law if he or she knowingly:
Recorded, filmed, photographed, developed or duplicated any visual format which shows a minor engaged in exploitive or sexual conduct;
Distributed, transported, exhibited, received, sold, purchased, or electronically transmitted and visual format which shows a minor engaged in exploitive or sexual conduct;
Possessing any visual format which shows a minor engaged in exploitive or sexual conduct
Participating in the creation and distribution of child pornography are some of the most serious offenses related to child porn. However, even being in possession of pornography containing minors engaged in sexual acts is illegal and carries long mandatory prison sentences.
In addition to the Arizona laws prohibiting these behaviors, having any involvement with child pornography is also illegal under federal law. This means that you may be charged under federal or state statutes.
How long could I go to prison for child pornography?
Penalties are extreme for those convicted of offenses related to child pornography. Child pornography or Sexual Exploitation of a minor is a Class 2 felony. In fact, possession of a single photograph, or other image, of a child under age 14 carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and the sentence for each image must run consecutive to one another. This means that if a person is charged with possessing 10 images he or she will be facing a minimum of 100 years in prison, even for a first offense.
This crime also requires the person convicted to register as a sex offender, which may affect one’s ability to interact with children as well as impact job and residential opportunities in the future.
Possible Child Pornography Defenses
There are a number of ways an experienced child pornography defense attorney can help a person charged with child pornography. An effective defense of child pornography charges often requires an understanding of law enforcement tools and techniques. In this day and age, it also requires an understanding of technical computer and cell phone information.
Some of the things that can explain why a person is accused of possessing child pornography include:
Mistaken identity – a person other than the person charged downloaded the image,
Mass download which results in the accidental or mistaken download of an image,
a mistake about the age of the person in the photograph, or someone hacked your computer
Often police conduct can be challenged, which can result in a case being dismissed.
You Need a Good Defense Strategy Now – We Can Help You!
At Rowley Chapman & Barney, Ltd., our Child Pornography Defense Attorney Team has extensive experience and training which has enabled them to help clients facing child pornography charges. We can handle both state and federal charges. We have a former prosecutor on our defense team and we will aggressively defend your rights. Our criminal defense attorneys can help you understand your rights and your options for responding proactively to child pornography charges.
Child Pornography
We are available 24/7. Please call me at at (480) 833-2341to schedule your FREE consultation.
