...an argument for bearer credentials if there ever was one... Cheers, RAH --------- http://fortworthstartelegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:METRO21/1:METRO211127100.ht... Updated: Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 at 22:49 CST `Some terrible, terrible pictures' -- Jury picked to hear case of a Web porn company By Toni Heinzl Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH -- Prosecutors warned federal jurors Monday that they will be shown "some terrible, terrible" pictures during the trial of a Fort Worth couple on charges involving child pornography on the Internet. Before nine men and three women were selected for what is expected to be a weeklong trial, attorneys outlined some of the key issues. They told jurors that they will learn about the world of adult entertainment on the Internet, so-called adult verification services that check subscribers' credit card numbers and hand out passwords, and the criminal underground of child pornography. After hearing that pornographic pictures of children will be shown to the jury, a woman in the jury pool told U.S. District Judge Terry Means, "I might need counseling after this is over." She was not selected for the jury. Thomas Reedy, 37, and his wife, Janice Reedy, 32, of Fort Worth, are accused in an 87-count indictment of providing access to several child-porn Internet sites by verifying subscribers' credit cards and assigning them passwords. The Reedys maintain that they did not know that some of the pornographic sites they provided access to contained illegal child pornography. The Reedys and their company, Landslide Inc.,which they operated from their home, are accused of sexual exploitation of minors, distributing child pornography and related charges in a conspiracy with two Indonesian Web masters, R.W. Kusuma and Hanny Ingganata, and Russian Web master Boris Greenberg. According to the indictment, the foreign Web masters started and operated the child pornography Web sites, and the Reedys controlled subscribers' access to the sites beginning in 1997. The business netted more than $1 million, the indictment said. If convicted, the couple could be sentenced to life in prison. The company could be fined up to $500,000 per count and face forfeiture of all of its assets. During questioning of prospective jurors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri Moore warned, "You're going to have to view some terrible, terrible pictures. Some people might not be able to handle it." According to the indictment, some of the sites have titles that leave nothing to the imagination, such as "Children Forced to Porn" and "Child Rape." Prosecutors have said that most of the children depicted appear to be about 10 or 11. The images include still photographs and videos and portray, for example, children in lewd poses and children being raped by adults, according to the indictment. The Reedys have a 9-year-old daughter who lives with her paternal grandfather. During questioning, several prospective jurors said they objected strongly to adult entertainment on the Internet in general, saying it made no difference to them whether the conduct was between consenting adults or involved children. "There's no need for this kind of stuff," said one woman who was not selected for the jury. During questioning of one prospective juror, Janice Reedy's attorney, Mike Heiskell, made the analogy of a ticket seller at a movie theater being prosecuted for the objectionable content of a movie. A prospective juror stood up to argue with Heiskell. "There are guidelines for movies in the theaters. You can read the reviews," the woman said. "The Internet does not have that regulation. I find that question ridiculous." The woman was not selected for the jury. Federal authorities have not been able to arrest the foreign Web masters and bring them to trial in federal court in Fort Worth. U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins said Monday that it could take years to extradite them. "We have forwarded it to the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs in Washington," Coggins said. "We are holding up hope that we're going to bring the Indonesians and the Russian to justice in the United States." Toni Heinzl, (817) 390-7684 theinzl@star-telegram.com © 2000 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas -- Terms and Conditions Serving the online community since 1982! -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'