If someone in your family faces child pornography charges, you may wonder about possible Texas punishments for such crimes.
First, rest assured that our team of experienced sex crime defense lawyers and computer crimes attorneys can help if you live in Houston, Harris County, Montgomery County or Fort Bend County.
Second, it’s important to know exactly what charge you or your loved one faces. Child porn charges can include:
- Child pornography possession
- Child pornography receiving
- Child pornography distribution/promotion
You also must know if you face Texas child porn charges, federal child porn charges, or both. Child porn offenders can be prosecuted under federal laws as well as state laws — at the same time.
State Child Porn Sentencing
Texas punishments for child pornography include:
- A fine of up to $10,000 as well as 2 to 10 years in prison for possession or distribution of child pornography (sexually explicit material featuring a minor under 17 years old — a third-degree felony)
…or…
- A fine of up to $10,000 and 2 to 20 years in prison for distributing or intending to distribute such materials (a second-degree felony)
Convicted persons also may be required to register for life as a sex offender.
Also, if a child who’s shown or depicted in child porn is younger than 14 years old, the charge rises to a first-degree felony. That carries a fine of up to $10,000 and a sentence of 5 to 99 years in state prison.
This elevated charge occurs often, since studies show that more than two-thirds of all children in child porn images are 10 years old or younger — that is, far younger than 14.
Federal Child Porn Punishments
As for federal punishments for child pornography, they can include:
- High fines and 15-30 years in prison for a first-time offender convicted of producing child pornography.
- High fines and 5-20 years in prison for a first-time offender convicted of transporting child pornography in interstate or foreign commerce.
- Life in prison for child porn offenders who have had prior convictions or when the material is “aggravated” — that is, involves sadistic or violent images.
As you can see, child porn charges are very serious matters, and they should be addressed promptly by an experienced Texas child porn defense lawyer.
In this computer-driven age, child porn sting operations often snare innocent people, and even inadvertent exposure to child porn on a laptop can lead to an arrest.
Indeed, child porn charges are becoming common in Houston and elsewhere in Southeast Texas. Recently a Spring man was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. Also, a man in Shepherd, in San Jacinto County, was charged with 3,191 third-degree felony counts for possessing child porn and seven second-degree felony counts for possession and promotion of child porn.
If you or a loved one faces criminal charges for a child porn offense, notify our knowledgeable and skilled child pornography possession defense lawyers immediately. We’ll promptly give you a confidential legal review of your case.
Contact the Neal Davis Law Firm today. Your future may depend on it.
Continue reading: FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY LAW: A TEXAS CITIZEN’S GUIDE
