Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer Blog
On October 13, 2010, JB was performing his duties as an active duty member of the Massachusetts National Guard when he received a phone call from his parents. A team of State Police officers were at their house with a search warrant for computers in the house. The State Troopers were in the process of tearing apart JB’s bedroom and were going through his laptop computer. About a month earlier, the State Police had performed an online investigation into the possession and dissemination of child pornography through online computer file sharing networks, such as “Limewire”. During that investigation, they identified a computer at JB’s house as sharing files containing child pornography. The State Police obtained a search warrant and, in the course of searching his computer in the home, found the file sharing program “Limewire” on his computer and located dozens of files containing child pornography. JB was instructed to return home at once. JB drove home in a complete panic. When he arrived at his house, the State Police sat him down and began questioning him about the child pornography they had just found. JB was subsequently charged in the Woburn District Court with possession of Child Pornography and Possession with the intent to disseminate child pornography. After several months, a Middlesex County Grand Jury returned indictments against JB and the case was moved to the Middlesex Superior Court. JB faced two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of possession with the intent to disseminate child pornography. The third indictment carried a minimum sentence of ten years in state prison. In total, JB faced thirty years in prison. JB hired Lewin & Lewin to defend him in the case. Attorney Joshua Lewin plea bargained with the Assistant District Attorney handling the case. They could not come to an agreement on a recommended sentence if JB pleaded guilty. Attorney Lewin requested a conference with the Judge to discuss a potential plea deal. After a lengthy conference, Attorney Lewin convinced the Judge to sentence JB to a term of probation without any prison time. With probation on the table, on February 15, 2012 JB decided to plead guilty and was sentenced to four years of probation. Sometimes in a criminal case, it is in the client’s best interests to plead guilty. The attorneys at Lewin & Lewin advise clients through that process and are very successful in getting clients the best possible deal. In this case, JB faced thirty years in state prison yet got off with just four years of probation.