Virginia prides itself on being one of the most lenient states for crimes against minors, including child pornography. While sentences can be among the harshest in the United States, even if the charges are later dropped, a simple charge of “child pornography” can have long – term consequences on your life. It can affect how your family, colleagues and friends treat you, ruin your relationship with your spouse or partner, and affect your right to custody of your children.
Now is not the time to try to act alone in the criminal justice system. You need to contact an experienced Fairfax child pornography attorney to understand your rights, your case, and the consequences of your actions to help you get the best outcome in your criminal case. If you are convicted of “child pornography,” you could face a long prison sentence and fines.
Virginia law defines “child pornography” as sexually explicit material that is visual and is sexual in nature, such as a child’s face, body, or body parts. At the time of the image, the child must be a minor under the age of 18 and an actual person. The object be the minor or minors in the “sexually explicit” material.
Sexually explicit material may include the following: freely defined visual material, such as images of a child’s face, body, or body parts, and/or sexual images.
No charges can be brought against you. If excited, you are abbebed, no charges. You can bring charges only if you cause harm to yourself, others, or the public.
There are three major child pornography offenses that are criminal offenses. You may be charged with one of these crimes. If excited, you are abbebed, no charges can be brought.
This includes inciting or being involved in minor child pornography, attempting to produce the production of a child, knowingly participating in the productions of child Pornography, and attempts to finance child pornography. These offences may not be committed without the minor’s consent to them. This means that you could be accused of simply asking a minor to do so. If you knowingly create an object that depicts sexual exploitation or abuse, you could be charged with possessing child pornography. Intention is irrelevant, it is very freely defined.
If you have the ability to view the material in this way, you could be charged with a crime. Most people who distribute child pornography can also be charged with distributing it. If you email, print, or show a friend an image, it counts as distribution. The same goes for images that you sexed up and posted on social media. You may knowingly copy, send, sell, distribute, reproduce, and/or reproduce children’s pornography. Penalties could face a fine of up to $ 1,000 and/or six months in jail, or both. Penalties for possession of child pornography range from a $ 500 fine to a year in prison. The sentence you might face if convicted of child pornography will depend on many factors, including whether it is your first or subsequent conviction. In general, you may face the following penalties for this serious crime.
You could be sentenced to between 1 and 40 years in prison. You could also be fined up to $ 1,000, or a maximum sentence of 10 years ‘imprisonment and/or a fine of $ 10,500.
Fines typically do not exceed $ 2,500. You can be sentenced to one year in prison for a first offense and up to 20 years for the next.
A first offense could face up to 10 years in prison. A second offence carries the same penalty, with a minimum term of five years. If found guilty of distributing child pornography on a website, you could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, fined up to $ 100,000, and have to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life.