Submission + - Pics of clothed models under 18 now kiddie porn
A temporarily anonymous coward writes: Or at least it will be, if US Attorney Alice H. Martin has her way.
An indictment unsealed on November 28 charges that Jeff Pierson — a photographer whose action shots have appeared in racing magazines and advertising — transported and conspired to transport child pornography in interstate commerce using a computer, even though prosecutors have acknowledged that there is no evidence he has ever taken a single photograph of an unclothed minor.
These charges, along with the rest in an 80+ count indictment that includes 2 other men who ran ChildSuperModels.com (dead URL) will result at least 15 years in prison if the accused are found guilty, as well as (somewhat unsurprisingly) forfeiture of "not less than" well over a half million dollars as well as property and domain names.
Lee Tien, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation has weighed in on the issue, stating that "...it's puzzling that they would devote investigative and law enforcement resources to something (like this). This is a far cry from what folks normally think of as child pornography."
Puzzling indeed, some of the archived pictures include the models wearing sweaters.
I believe that News.com broke the story on the 30th, although this has received virtually no media coverage since.
If this case results in a guilty verdict, the question is "who's next"? Photography studios who have done graduation pictures? People who take pictures of children on the "jo bennet" circuit? Advertising companies?
Arraignment is scheduled for December 14 in Alabama.
An indictment unsealed on November 28 charges that Jeff Pierson — a photographer whose action shots have appeared in racing magazines and advertising — transported and conspired to transport child pornography in interstate commerce using a computer, even though prosecutors have acknowledged that there is no evidence he has ever taken a single photograph of an unclothed minor.
These charges, along with the rest in an 80+ count indictment that includes 2 other men who ran ChildSuperModels.com (dead URL) will result at least 15 years in prison if the accused are found guilty, as well as (somewhat unsurprisingly) forfeiture of "not less than" well over a half million dollars as well as property and domain names.
Lee Tien, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation has weighed in on the issue, stating that "...it's puzzling that they would devote investigative and law enforcement resources to something (like this). This is a far cry from what folks normally think of as child pornography."
Puzzling indeed, some of the archived pictures include the models wearing sweaters.
I believe that News.com broke the story on the 30th, although this has received virtually no media coverage since.
If this case results in a guilty verdict, the question is "who's next"? Photography studios who have done graduation pictures? People who take pictures of children on the "jo bennet" circuit? Advertising companies?
Arraignment is scheduled for December 14 in Alabama.