Possession or Distribution of Child Pornography
Sexual exploitation of a child is the formal charge given when a suspect is accused of possessing or distributing child pornography. These are difficult charges to fight and there are criminal defense lawyers who don’t even try to fight them, but just do their best to minimize the damage.
Is It Really Child Pornography?
In these cases, the government must prove that the material in question actually was child pornography. A great number of images on the Internet are fake child porn. These images are made with people who look like minors, but are not. Or the images are Photoshopped — computer manipulated images. In either case, no child was exploited in the creation of these images. Often, the government does not have the expertise to prove that the images in question are of actual children.
Did You Know It Was There?
The government must also prove that you knew these images were on your computer.
Prosecutors often fail to lay a proper foundation for a case. When that happens, we are frequently able to tear their case apart.
We will also analyze the facts of the case to determine whether police followed proper procedure in obtaining evidence against you. Did they get a warrant to search your computer? Was the information on which they based their request for a warrant too old to justify its issuance? Were you forced or coerced into consenting to a warrantless search?
We Know the Questions to Ask and the Evidence to Question
If the government wants to take away your freedom, we are going to force them to dot every “I,” cross every “T” and jump through every hoop that the law requires. Frequently, the prosecutors just cannot do it.
We have successfully defended people from all walks of life in cases related to child pornography. Often, these are people with no prior criminal record who may not understand their rights or police tactics.
If you have been charged with sexual exploitation of a child, do not speak to anyone about the case. Contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation and case evaluation.
The current Colorado statute that covers the this criminal charge is as follows:
C.R.S. § 18-6-403 Sexual Exploitation Of A Child
(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares: That the sexual exploitation of children constitutes a wrongful invasion of the child’s right of privacy and results in social, developmental, and emotional injury to the child; that a child below the age of eighteen years is incapable of giving informed consent to the use of his or her body for a sexual purpose; and that to protect children from sexual exploitation it is necessary to prohibit the production of material which involves or is derived from such exploitation and to exclude all such material from the channels of trade and commerce.
(1.5) The general assembly further finds and declares that the mere possession or control of any sexually exploitative material results in continuing victimization of our children by the fact that such material is a permanent record of an act or acts of sexual abuse of a child; that each time such material is shown or viewed, the child is harmed; that such material is used to break down the will and resistance of other children to encourage them to participate in similar acts of sexual abuse; that laws banning the production and distribution of such material are insufficient to halt this abuse; that in order to stop the sexual exploitation and abuse of our children, it is necessary for the state to ban the possession of any sexually exploitative materials; and that the state has a compelling interest in outlawing the possession of any sexually exploitative materials in order to protect society as a whole, and particularly the privacy, health, and emotional welfare of its children.
(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) “Child” means a person who is less than eighteen years of age.
(b) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2003, p. 1882, § 1, effective July 1, 2003.)
(c) “Erotic fondling” means touching a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals or pubic area, developing or undeveloped genitals or pubic area (if the person is a child), buttocks, breasts, or developing or undeveloped breast area (if the person is a child), for the purpose of real or simulated overt sexual gratification or stimulation of one or more of the persons involved. “Erotic fondling” shall not be construed to include physical contact, even if affectionate, which is not for the purpose of real or simulated overt sexual gratification or stimulation of one or more of the persons involved.
(d) “Erotic nudity” means the display of the human male or female genitals or pubic area, the undeveloped or developing genitals or pubic area of the human male or female child, the human breasts, or the undeveloped or developing breast area of the human child, for the purpose of real or simulated overt sexual gratification or stimulation of one or more of the persons involved.
(e) “Explicit sexual conduct” means sexual intercourse, erotic fondling, erotic nudity, masturbation, sadomasochism, or sexual excitement.
(f) “Masturbation” means the real or simulated touching, rubbing, or otherwise stimulating of a person’s own clothed or unclothed genitals or pubic area, developing or undeveloped genitals or pubic area (if the person is a child), buttocks, breasts, or developing or undeveloped breast area (if the person is a child), by manual manipulation or self-induced or with an artificial instrument, for the purpose of real or simulated overt sexual gratification or arousal of the person.
(g) “Sadomasochism” means:
(I) Real or simulated flagellation or torture for the purpose of real or simulated sexual stimulation or gratification; or
(II) The real or simulated condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained for sexual stimulation or gratification of a person.
(h) “Sexual excitement” means the real or simulated condition of human male or female genitals when in a state of real or simulated overt sexual stimulation or arousal.
(i) “Sexual intercourse” means real or simulated intercourse, whether genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, between persons of the same or opposite sex, or between a human and an animal, or with an artificial genital.
(j) “Sexually exploitative material” means any photograph, motion picture, video, video tape, print, negative, slide, or other mechanically, electronically, chemically, or digitally reproduced visual material that depicts a child engaged in, participating in, observing, or being used for explicit sexual conduct.
(k) “Video”, “video tape”, or “motion picture” means any material that depicts a moving image of a child engaged in, participating in, observing, or being used for explicit sexual conduct.
(3) A person commits sexual exploitation of a child if, for any purpose, he or she knowingly:
(a) Causes, induces, entices, or permits a child to engage in, or be used for, any explicit sexual conduct for the making of any sexually exploitative material; or
(b) Prepares, arranges for, publishes, including but not limited to publishing through digital or electronic means, produces, promotes, makes, sells, finances, offers, exhibits, advertises, deals in, or distributes, including but not limited to distributing through digital or electronic means, any sexually exploitative material; or
(b.5) Possesses or controls any sexually exploitative material for any purpose; except that this paragraph (b.5) does not apply to peace officers or court personnel in the performance of their official duties, nor does it apply to physicians, psychologists, therapists, or social workers, so long as such persons are licensed in the state of Colorado and the persons possess such materials in the course of a bona fide treatment or evaluation program at the treatment or evaluation site; or
(c) Possesses with the intent to deal in, sell, or distribute, including but not limited to distributing through digital or electronic means, any sexually exploitative material; or
(d) Causes, induces, entices, or permits a child to engage in, or be used for, any explicit sexual conduct for the purpose of producing a performance.
(4) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2003, p. 1882, § 1, effective July 1, 2003.)
(5) (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (5), sexual exploitation of a child is a class 3 felony.
(b) Sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material pursuant to paragraph (b.5) of subsection (3) of this section is a class 6 felony; except that said offense is a class 4 felony if:
(I) It is a second or subsequent offense; or
(II) The possession is of a video, video tape, or motion picture or more than twenty different items qualifying as sexually exploitative material.
(6) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this section which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this section are declared to be severable.
Colorado Defense Lawyer McClintock comments on this criminal charge: This is one of the few charges in the sexual realm that does not carry with it lifetime supervision. However it can still carry all the ramifications of sex offender probation.
This charge does not require that you were interested or excited by the content. this is a simple possession issue. However in treatment they try hard to force everyone to admit they are interested in sex with children so it can be difficult to complete treatment on these charges.
These charges carry either 10 (F4) or 20 (F3) years of mandatory registration after your sentence is compete. Note you must file a petition to ever be removed from the Sex Offender Registry.