These days, we never know who has access to the information on our computers. Further, companies like Google are now reporting illegal activity to authorities. That’s what happened to a 25-year-old St. Louis man who finds himself charged with felony child porn possession.
Authorities say that the man had over 2,700 files, including images and multimedia, linked to his IP address. They allegedly depict children taking part in sex acts.
Google reported the man’s IP address and Gmail account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who notified law enforcement. Under its terms of service, the company discloses that it has systems in place to identify child porn images on its systems and that it reports any such content it finds to law enforcement.
In a raid of his home two years ago, law enforcement officers reportedly found 46 multimedia files and 2,690 graphic files that they said were sexually explicit. The defendant says that the files got into his system by mistake. He claims that he regularly downloads, movies, games and television shows. He says, “Sometimes you get viruses….And unfortunately I downloaded things I wasn’t trying to download.”
He told a reporter that he thought that law enforcement had dropped the case and that “all that was over with.” However, on June 7, charges were filed against him. The man said that he was unaware of the charges, and he’s not in custody at this time.
Child pornography charges are extremely serious. If you are being investigated for having illegal files on your computer, regardless of whether authorities have taken any action against you or not, it’s essential to seek legal guidance.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Google reports St. Louis man’s email account as storing child pornography, police say,” Joel Currier, June 08, 2016
