Charges and accusations of possessing or distributing child porn are on the rise throughout Colorado. We continue to see situations where explicit images and videos become intertwined with social media apps, providing law enforcement with particularly easy access to potential evidence. Possessing, producing, or distributing sexual material involving anyone under 18 is unlawful in Denver, Aurora, and Lakewood. Earlier this week, a Colorado man pleaded guilty to counts of sexual exploitation of a child after police allegedly found provocative images on his social media account. Charges of this nature in Colorado require especially skilled representation from an experienced child porn defense attorney.

What is a Sexual Exploitation of a Child Charge in Denver?

Sexual Exploitation of a Child C.R.S. 18-6-403 is the law in Colorado that defines child pornography possession. Someone commits this serious sex offense in Denver if they:

• possess sexually explicit material (images, video, etc),
• showing a juvenile engaging in sexual intercourse, oral sex, masturbation, erotic fondling, or erotic nudity,
• OR contribute in any manner to the creation or distribution of such materials

The complexity of the term sexually explicit material makes or breaks many child porn cases. This is where a strategic criminal defense attorney is especially crucial in analyzing the evidence against a defendant. Unfortunately, police seldom take the time to differentiate between unlawful photos and lawful images, leading to damaging accusations that also carry an impactful presumption of guilt.

What are the Penalties for Child Porn in Denver?

A sexual exploitation of a child conviction carries particularly heavy penalties in the state of Colorado. This offense can range from a class 5 felony to a class 3 felony depending on the type of explicit materials, quantity, and also prior criminal history. Specific consequences can include:

• 1 – 12 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, as well as $1,000 – $750,000 in fines
• Colorado Sex Offender Registration,
• Years of Sex Offender Treatment,
• Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation (SOISP)

The probation department's policies have a great deal of control over your daily life after incarceration and also place isolating restrictions on your whereabouts, contact with other people, and use of the internet. Their supervision is costly, both financially and mentally and can create significant barriers when it comes to employment, housing, and interaction with others.

Denver Child Porn Defense Attorney

Facing accusations of sexual exploitation of a minor is a particularly difficult situation, requiring a skilled criminal lawyer on your side. Sometimes innocent people encounter charges of child pornography possession with no criminal intent whatsoever. Our office has decades of experience defending clients navigating complex sex crime charges with impressive results. Perhaps you didn't know you were in possession of explicit material or the touching in the images wasn't for sexual gratification. Nonetheless, contact our office for a free consultation with Denver's best sex crime attorneys.

If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges involving child pornography, be smart. Contact the strategic defense attorneys at Sawyer Legal Group, LLC at 303-830-0880. Together, we can protect your future.

Photo Credit: Unsplash – John Schnobrich