Legal Representation For Federal Sex Crimes and Child Pornography Charges In The Nashville Area And Nationwide
Congress has enacted a landslide of legislation designed to keep children safe from sex offenders. Likewise, the Department of Justice has prioritized the prosecution of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children cases. While the protection of children is a good and necessary thing, people can make mistakes and laws can be misapplied, leading to surprise arrests. For instance:
- Adult websites can state that performers are over 18 years old when they are not, and viewers can face legitimate criminal charges for viewing that content even if the viewer’s intent relates only to viewing legal adult pornography. Even viewers of the popular web program “Girls Gone Wild” are at risk, as lawsuits alleged that some individuals pictured on that site were later discovered to be under 18 years old.
- Although it might be legal for young men or women who are 18 or just over 18 to have sex with a 17-year-old, ironically those activities cannot be recorded for private purposes. This act of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum punishment of 15 years in prison (sometimes higher) — even if the relationship and recording was consensual by all and even if the film was never viewed, distributed, uploaded or published.
- Adult websites can automatically download illegal child pornography to viewers’ hard drives without their knowledge, exposing them to enforceable criminal charges and harsh penalties.
- Internet news groups, chat rooms and gaming sites often subject your computer hard drive to attack by pornographic websites and persons sending illicit underage images.
These are just a few examples of how seemingly innocent or harmless mistakes can lead to federal prosecution and staggering potential punishments.
Regardless of the nature of your criminal charges, Hodde & Associates offers experienced, confidential, discreet and nonjudgmental legal defense services.
Kimberly Hodde is one of Tennessee’s most sought-after criminal defense attorneys. She has defended many defendants around the country in sex crime and child pornography cases at both the state and federal levels. She is experienced at building empathy with juries by humanizing her clients, and she is among the very small number of attorneys nationwide who have successfully tried a federal child pornography case resulting in an acquittal.
Like in many criminal prosecutions, search and seizure issues play an important role in the defense of child pornography and sex crimes cases. Oftentimes, police seize computers or other potential evidence or force the collection of DNA. The thorough analysis of these issues and a comprehensive knowledge of the constantly developing law relating to a defendant’s privacy interest in electronic communications and email or host server data are critical to these cases. Ms. Hodde has litigated and is presently litigating cases that are on the cutting edge of forming the law in this area. She is regularly an invited speaker in the criminal defense community regarding defending these case and is known for her command of the law and technology relating to these prosecutions.
Contact Us
If you have questions regarding sex crimes and child pornography sex offenses, contact Hodde & Associates. Kimberly S. Hodde can be available for evening and weekend appointments. Ms. Hodde is mindful that you may not have budgeted for funding your defense; so, under some circumstances, she will work with defendants and/or their families on a reasonable payment plan. The firm is conveniently located in a freestanding building on Music Row, just one mile from the federal courthouse with abundant free parking. Contact us at 615-242-4200.