Child Pornography a Growing Concern

Monday October 19, 2009

Assistant prosecutor says technology makes it easier for law enforcement to monitor online images

W.VA. — One thing U.S. Assistant Prosecutor Karen Schommer knows is that child pornography offenders usually live seemingly normal lives.

Schommer, coordinator of the U.S. Attorney Southern District’s Project Safe Childhood, specializes in the prosecution of child exploitation. She was a speaker at last week’s Conference on Crimes Against Children at the Civic Center.

“Kids are chatting online with people they think are their friends,” she said. “They are looking for someone to understand them. But the people they are chatting with can be predators.”

In her workshop, “Child Pornography - Going Federal,” she explained how child abuse investigations can be expanded to look for possible child pornography offenses and prompted law enforcement to work toward federal charges, which carry bigger penalties.

“This is a growing concern,” she said. “In 2003, more than 20,000 images of child porn were posted weekly in the Internet. And that was six years ago.”

She gave local case examples:

  • A California investigation ultimately uncovered a Logan schoolteacher and child pornography collector who had more than 2,000 images on his computer.
  • A North Carolina truck driver stopped regularly in Kanawha City and arranged to have sex with a 12-year-old girl for $100.
  • An employee of a Huntington Boys & Girls Club who found his victims there was discovered after an explicit photo that turned up in a California investigation included his mother’s car and license plate.
  • A state man convicted of having child pornography collected 8,000 images on his computer a few weeks after his prison release. After serving time again and leaving prison, he was discovered in a motel room living with a young boy.

The methods of those who watch, share, trade and utilize the images and videos to exploit children may have become more sophisticated, but so have the tactics of law enforcement officers trying to catch them.

Investigators monitor the same file sharing programs, chat rooms and other sites that child pornographers use and frequently pose as young victims themselves to snare criminals.

“With child porn, anything you do with it is illegal,” Schommer said. “In the federal system, the key is it has to cross state lines.”

Use of a computer, e-mail and the Internet - involved in most of the cases these days - involves crossing state lines. And if the person is using something to produce child porn, it is likely the equipment was manufactured in another state.

Schommer urges law enforcement officers and prosecutors to consider upping the case to a federal one when those aspects are involved. And contrary to what some believe, the federal legal process can be quicker.

“We call it the rocket docket,” she said. “Within 60 days from indictment, we can go to trial.”

Cracking down on those who possess and share child porn can ultimately uncover those who are actively sexually abusing or assaulting children.

“Almost 80 percent of those convictions we get for possession turn out to be hands-on offenders,” Schommer said. “But we never knew all the details until they were prosecuted.

“These cases are very difficult. They are very time-consuming. But they are very rewarding in terms of sentences you can get, children you can save and abuse you can stop.”

In federal child porn cases, those convicted of a first offense can be sentenced for five to 30 years for a first offense. For consequent offenses, they can receive 50 years or even life in prison.

“And in most of these cases, they are going to be monitored by us for the rest of their lives,” Schommer said.

 

Contact writer Cheryl Caswell at cher…@dailymail.com or 304-348-4832.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2007-JL-FX-K009 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.