Federal Child Porn Investigation Against Tech Executive Dropped

Our client, a prominent technology executive in Virginia, was the target of a federal child pornography investigation for more than a year. Last week our law firm learned that federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia would not be filing charges. The decision to decline prosecution came after our team of forensic experts uncovered evidence that the downloads in question were accidental.

The case began more than a year ago when federal agents raided our client’s home in the early morning hours. Armed with a search warrant and assault rifles, federal agents detained our client and his family for hours while they searched the family home and seized multiple electronic devices, including cell phones, computers, and external hard drives. The feds then conducted their own forensic exam on the seized devices and claimed that child pornography had been intentionally downloaded. If convicted, our client would have been facing a sentence between 5 and 20 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime on the sex offender registry.

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Our client hired us shortly after his home was raided. We convinced federal prosecutors to give our computer forensics experts access to the electronics before a charging decision was made. Our forensic team was able to show that the user of the devices had no interest in child pornography and that any downloads were likely accidental in nature. Federal prosecutors ultimately came to the same conclusion and agreed to drop the investigation against our client.

While we are very happy that our client will walk away from this case with his reputation and freedom in tact, this case is a stark reminder that people are often wrongfully targeted and accused of serious crimes. This case also underscores how important it is for people accused of child pornography offenses to hire experienced criminal lawyers who understand computer forensics and have access to the best computer forensics experts.

For years, our lawyers at Johnson/Citronberg have successfully defended individuals accused of child pornography crimes. If you are looking for a law firm that understands computer forensics and has the resources to challenge the U.S. government, give our firm a call or send us an email to see if we can help.