Wife of Attorney Hit with Federal Child Pornography Charge

This week, charges against a Texas woman resulted in national media coverage. The woman in Texas was charged in Federal Court with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. Women have been charged with Federal child pornography offenses much less frequently than men, meaning this story was already likely to receive some media attention. What drove this story towards increased media coverage was the status of the woman’s husband.

The woman’s husband is a prominent attorney in Dallas. His name is still all over the news, because of the actions of his wife. Fortunately, the husband has not been charged with a crime, but his name will still be dragged through the mud throughout this proceeding. He’s already been found guilty by association in the Court  of public opinion.

Meanwhile, his wife has an uphill battle to fight the child pornography charges. Federal child pornography charges carry penalties that some Federal judges have referred to as “draconian.” If the woman is convicted of distribution of child pornography, she faces a 10 year mandatory minimum and a likely guidelines sentence in excess of 15 years. Her guidelines sentence may even exceed 20 years, depending on the amount of images and videos in her possession, how she shared the child pornography materials, the ages of the children depicted in the materials, and the activities of the children in the materials. And even if she is found not guilty of the charges, the social stigma associated with the charges will follow her forever.

Like anyone charged with Federal child pornography offenses, this woman needs a very skilled attorney defending her. Ideally, she would have an attorney who can provide effective pre-charge representation. Pre-charge representation can help with ensuring that a person is not arrested on a warrant and, ideally, that they are not charged with the most serious offense possible. Effective pre-charge representation for Federal child pornography offenses can include an agreement from the U.S. Attorney’s office to only charge a person with possession of child pornography, thus avoiding any mandatory minimum penalties.

Post-charging, having an effective Federal child pornography defense attorney will help with challenging the Government’s evidence. An effective attorney can argue issues such as: (1) the search of your computer violated your constitutional rights, (2) the search warrant should not have been issued, (3) you did not know the materials were in your possession, (4) you did not know the materials contained child pornography (5) constitutional issues related to the statute you are charged under, or (6) any other issues that may have arose during your case.

If you do plead guilty, your Federal child pornography attorney can argue issues related to sentencing, such as (1) the enhancements to raise your base level offense under the Federal guidelines are unconstitutional (2) the enhancements were incorrectly applied to your case (3) you should received a reduction in your base level offense for various reasons and (4) any other issues that may arise specific to your sentence.

Child pornography charges carry serious penalties. This is particularly true in Federal Court. If you’re under investigation for a child pornography offense, or have already been charged with an offense, your best course of action is to contact an experienced child pornography defense attorney. Max Keller has defended child pornography charges in Federal court, State court, and on appeal. He knows the tricks prosecutor s will try to use in order to convict you and give you the harshest penalty possible. If you’re facing Federal or State child pornography charges in Minnesota, and would like to speak with an experienced child pornography defense attorney, contact Max Keller today.

Max Keller has won countless jury trial cases involving misdemeanors and felonies, sex crimes, and DWI’s. He is a member of the Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice, which only allows the top 50 criminal defense attorneys in the state as members. Max is a frequent speaker at CLE’s and is often asked for advice by other defense attorneys across Minnesota.

Years of Experience: Approx. 20 years
Minnesota Registration Status: Active
Bar & Court Admissions: State of Minnesota Minnesota State Court Minnesota Federal Court 8th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals State of Maryland

What to Do If You Have Been Charged with a Criminal Offense

When charged with a crime in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of the first questions you may have is: "Should I use a public defender or hire a private attorney?" Ultimately, the choice between a public defender and a private attorney depends on factors like your financial situation, criminal charges, and personal preferences.
Driving under the influence (DUI) of cocaine in Minnesota is a serious criminal offense. The penalties you may be facing if you're convicted on driving under the influence of cocaine will depend on your past DWI offenses, whether there are aggravating factors, and whether there were any injuries or fatalities caused. Several prior offenses and serious injuries or fatalities result in harsher penalties, such as hefty fines, license suspension or revocation, or jail time.
Was your teen arrested for driving under the influence after getting into a fatality accident in Minneapolis? Learning more about fatal DUI crash charges for juvenile offenders and the penalties that may apply can help you make informed decisions about how to proceed.