Being accused of possessing, making, or distributing child pornography can lead to life-altering consequences not just in court, but in your personal and professional life as well. Importantly, though, you have the same rights when facing allegations of this nature as any other defendant does, and proactively enforcing those rights could be vital to protecting yourself and your long-term interests.

No one should try to handle a situation as uniquely sensitive and with stakes as high as this without a seasoned defense attorney’s guidance. Once retained, a qualified Carrollton child pornography lawyer from our firm can be an irreplaceable ally from beginning to end of your legal proceedings. Call J. Ryan Brown Law today to schedule your confidential consultation with an aggressive legal professional.

How State Law Addresses Child Pornography

According to the Official Code of Georgia §16-12-100, all the following actions are classified as unlawful sexual exploitation of children:

  • Facilitating in any way a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of any performance or of making child porn
  • As a minor’s parent or legal guardian, knowingly permitting that minor to participate in a sexual performance or in the creation of child porn
  • Knowingly creating, copying, distributing, promoting, selling, or possessing child porn with intent to distribute
  • Knowingly advertising or owning any medium providing information about where to find and/or purchase child porn
  • Knowingly transporting child porn into the state of Georgia
  • Knowingly possessing any visual depiction of child porn

As a Carrollton child pornography attorney can further explain, “sexually explicit conduct” in this context can include not just sexual contact and intercourse, but any also lewd exhibition of intimate areas and any sadomasochistic abuse of a child. Also, each individual illicit medium or visual material someone possesses, transports, distributes, or creates can be treated as a distinct violation of this statute.

Possible Penalties from a Child Porn Conviction

Anyone who commits any child porn offense listed above may be subject to prosecution for a felony offense and sanctions of anywhere from five to 20 years imprisonment plus a maximum $100,000 fine (although the fine would not be applicable if the defendant is an immediate family member of the depicted minor(s) in question). On top of that, anyone convicted of a child porn offense is subject to mandatory registration in Georgia as a sex offender.

However, possessing child pornography can be considered a misdemeanor if the depicted minor was at least 14 years old, the visual depiction was created with that minor’s permission, the defendant was 18 years old or younger when the offense occurred, and they either did not distribute the material to anyone else or distributed it without any commercial purpose and without intent to harass or embarrass the depicted minor. A child pornography lawyer in Carrollton could possibly help apply this defense in situations where a teenager shared intimate photos with another teenager.

Talk to a Carrollton Child Pornography Attorney About Legal Options

Child porn charges are exceptionally serious matters in Georgia, and even a first-time offender could face years behind bars if they are convicted. Do not leave your future up to chance; you need an experienced Carrollton child pornography lawyer to fight on your behalf today.

Guidance from a capable legal professional could make all the difference in how your case plays out and whether it has a favorable result for you. Call J. Ryan Brown Law today for a private consultation.

J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC

J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
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