Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
State investigators arrested a Charlotte County man last week on several counts of possessing child pornography.
Agents raided the 43-year-old’s house on Mango Drive in Punta Gorda where they claim they discovered a computer that was advertising videos and images of young children being raped.
This man’s arrest was part of a larger, undercover sting operation targeting individuals in Southwest Florida believed to be in possession of child porn.
The man’s wife allegedly told police that her husband accidentally downloaded the images.
According to police, the woman said her husband was trying to download music from a website called “eMule,” a peer-to-peer networking site. However, police allege the man downloaded images of children engaging in sexual activity.
The woman told police that the images were deleted as soon as her husband saw what they were.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating the man last October. Agents targeted computers with IP addresses in Southwest Florida believed to contain child porn.
Police claim the man began searching, collecting and advertising child pornography nearly a year ago. He is being held at the Charlotte County Jail on $500,000 bond.
Possession of child pornography charges are grave and require an aggressive criminal defense. If you have been caught in a situation where images of child porn were found on your computer, a Charlotte County Criminal Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton can investigate the facts of your case and provide you with a thorough defense against these heinous allegations.
As trial attorneys and former prosecutors, we have the technical experience and knowledge needed to defend child pornography cases. The majority of these cases involve online peer-to-peer file sharing networks where the material in question is often mistakenly downloaded or is embedded in other files being downloaded, which can wind up being traced back to you. If you have been accused of possessing images of child porn or have been contacted by law enforcement, the best thing you can do to help yourself is to invoke your rights to remain silent and contact a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.
It is important to begin protecting yourself from child porn charges as soon as possible. This starts with contacting a Charlotte County Criminal Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton as soon as you are arrested or believe you may be under investigation. We can begin analyzing the files and/or images that were used to implicate you right away and can mount an effective defense strategy immediately. To arrange a free consultation with us, please call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online.