A 56-year-old Culver City man has been sentenced to four years in state prison for watching child pornography on a library computer. According to a news report in The Santa Monica Mirror, the incident occurred at the library on Main Street in Santa Monica in October. Officials say that the man is a registered sex offender and that they observed him watching child pornography by assigning a plainclothes officer to the case. The man pleaded guilty and was sentenced this month.
Possession of child pornography is a serious offense in California. According to California Penal Code 311.11: “Every person who knowingly possesses or controls any matter, representation of information, data, or image that depicts a person under the age of 18 years personally engaging in or simulating sexual conduct is guilty of a felony.”
First-time sex offenders found in possession of child pornography will face felony charges in California punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for up to one year and a fine of $2,500. If the person who commits the violation has been previously convicted of child pornography possession, or is a registered sex offender, he or she will face felony charges punishable by imprisonment for two, four, or six years.
Anyone facing these types of serious charges runs the risk of having his or her reputation forever tarnished. Being a registered sex offender can affect where you work, where you live, and how others treat you. For many, it is difficult to reintegrate back into society after being labeled as a sex offender.
The experienced sex crime defense attorneys in Santa Monica at Sitkoff & Hanrahan have a long history of handling these types of cases in southern California. It is important that all sex crime charges are aggressively fought in court with the help of a skilled criminal defense attorney. We offer free and confidential consultations at (866) 430-8383.