A 33-year-old Kalamazoo man is facing federal charges related to child pornography. He has been charged with multiple sex crimes and faces 11 counts total including possession and distribution of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography.
The juvenile crimes are outlined in a 15-page indictment. The criminal sexual misconduct allegations include using a computer to distribute child pornography and traveling across several states with a cell phone that contained pornographic images of children. The charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred as far back as February 2009, but some are as recent as this last April, when the man allegedly coerced a 15-year-old girl to send him graphic photos of herself via text message.
The man is currently on the sex offender list from a conviction of criminal sexual misconduct in April 1997. He was also convicted of sexual misconduct in September 1993. He is currently being held by the U.S. Marshals Service, where he is awaiting trial.
Although most sexual offenses are charged under state law, federal charges may be pressed for a variety of offenses. Most of these offenses include crossing state lines to commit illegal sexual acts or committing sexual acts, including distributing pornography involving children under the age of 18. For example, the man distributed child pornography via his computer and the used his cell phone to distribute explicit images across multiple states, both which are considered felonies. In addition, the man was already registered as a sex offender or two previous offenses, making the crimes much more impactful.
It’s important to remember that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Still, state and federal authorities are very aggressive in prosecuting laws against child pornography. Without a strong defense, a person accused of child pornography faces the possibility of a long time behind bars.
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette, “Kalamazoo sex offender indicted on multiple child pornography charges,” Rex Hall, Jr., Sept. 17, 2012
