Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell recently announced that the Attorney General’s High Tech Crime Unit arrested a 38-year-old Mandeville man authorities believe is the state’s “top child pornography offender.”
The man was charged with 50 counts of possession of child pornography and booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail. Bond has been set at $500,000. As in any sex crime case involving children, the defendant faces serious penalties if he is convicted of the charges against him.
Authorities said they arrested him based on videos and images of juveniles they found in his possession. At this point, they have confessed that they have not uncovered any evidence suggesting that the man produced any of the images. However, they continue to investigate, looking for anything they can use against him.
Many sex offense charges are filed after officers from special task forces conduct undercover investigations. In this particular case, the man’s arrest came after he was targeted in an undercover investigation conducted by four different agencies – the Louisiana Attorney General’s High Technology Crime Unit, the Mandeville Police Department, the Baton Rouge Constable’s Office and the Lafayette Police Department. Investigators have chosen not to discuss the details of the sting operation.
The Attorney General’s High Tech Crime Unit investigates a number of computer offenses, including identity theft, Internet fraud and cyber-stalking. However, the unit is most widely known for targeting potential online crimes against juveniles. Given the Attorney General’s zeal for pursuing any possible sex offense against children, the government aggressively investigates and prosecutes these types of cases. Anyone charged with this type of sex crime needs a strong defense.
Source: KATC, “Mandeville Man Arrest on Child Pornography Charges,” 24 March 2011