Criminal offenses involving children are severely punished in Milwaukee and elsewhere. Some of these crimes may involve police Internet sting operations which target defendants who would not have possessed child pornography had it not been for these circumstances. For some defendants facing an Internet criminal offense, entrapment may be a viable defense. Recently, a Wisconsin county sheriff’s deputy assisted in arresting a man for possession of child pornography.
According to police, a man from Chicago, Illinois has been federally charged for possessing child pornography. Police say that the man was arrested and charged after the man participated in at least 19 Internet exchanges with a Waukesha County Sheriff’s detective. During these exchanges, police say that the man distributed 76 images and 16 videos of child pornography. According to the criminal complaint, when police searched the man’s house, they allegedly found 887 images and 135 videos of child pornography. The man faces at least 10 years in jail, a maximum fine of $250,000 and registration on the state’s sex offender registry.
Depending on the circumstances, a person accused of an Internet criminal offense such as the one above, may use an entrapment defense. Generally, entrapment occurs when a government official provokes a defendant to commit a criminal offense. This defense is based on the idea that the government should not be inducing a defendant to commit a crime, then convicting and penalizing the defendant for doing the crime.
Being accused of an Internet crime such as possession of child pornography should not be taken lightly; defendants charged with this serious crime should seek a defense that may assist in reducing the penalties they face. It is important to remember that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Source: FOX 6 Milwaukee, “Waukesha Sheriff’s deputy helps nab child porn suspect,” Katie DeLong, April 15, 2013