Police have arrested a 28-year-old man in Oxnard after connecting him to a group of 18 men spread across 14 states that are suspected of trading sexually explicit images of underage males. According to CBSLocal.com, the man was found communicating and trading child pornography over an online portal and was arrested on April 3.
The man now faces a 10-count indictment that resulted from investigations from both the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles agencies. Investigations into the group began in 2008 when an Arizona boy began receiving sexually suggestive text messages from a Lake Forest man who turned out to be a youth soccer coach. He was convicted of transporting child pornography and sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2011.
If convicted, the maximum penalties for the Oxnard suspect can reach 110 years in state prison.
Under California Penal Code Section 311.1, "Every person who knowingly sends or causes to be sent, or brings or causes to be brought, into this state for sale or distribution, or in this state possesses, prepares, publishes, produces, develops, duplicates, or prints any representation of ... any obscene matter, knowing that the matter depicts a person under the age of 18 years personally engaging in or personally simulating sexual conduct" is guilty of breaking child pornography laws. This is punishable by one year in county jail and/or a $1,000 fine if deemed a misdemeanor, or a two, three, or six year sentence in state prison and/or up to a $100,000 fine if it is found to be a felony.
In addition, if the crime is a repeat offense, up to $50,000 in extra fines can be brought against the guilty party. Under Section 311.4, a person who knowingly hires a minor to perform any sexual acts can be punished by county jail imprisonment for up to one year and up to $2,000 in fines. Also, the hiring or coercing of a minor to create child pornography is a felony punishable by three, six, or eight years in state prison.
Conviction of child pornography charges not only brings lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines, but social and professional repercussions that can follow a convicted defendant around for the rest of his or her life. For help with your case from the dedicated Oxnard child pornography defense lawyers at the Law Offices of Daniel Kann, call (805) 290-4932.
