CDR: Authenticate the "adult field", go to jail...

[R. A. Hettinga]

...an argument for bearer credentials if there ever was one...


Cheers,
RAH
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http://fortworthstartelegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:METRO21/1:METRO211127100.html
	 
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 at star-telegram.com

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