Former Florida Elections Commission general counsel indicted on child porn charges
wtvy.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The former general counsel for the Florida Elections Commission has been indicted on child porn charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Eric Lipman, 59, was initially arrested by Leon County deputies in April 2021 on 11 counts of possession of child porn. He is now in federal custody on charges of conspiracy to produce, distribute, possess and receive child pornography, the attorney’s office says.
The indictment says Lipman did this between Feb. 8, 2021, and Feb. 11, 2021. He is accused of participating in a Mega.NZ group chat that distributed, received, possessed and discussed child porn images and videos.
The indictment also says members of the group chat posted the child porn “for the benefit of other like-minded participants.”
According to the press release, Mega.NZ was an internet cloud storage and file hosting service based in New Zealand. The attorney’s office says the images and videos in Lipman’s possession showed a prepubescent minor, as well as a child under the age of 12.
Lipman faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge of the conspiracy, receiving and distributing child porn, as well as another max penalty of 10 years in prison for possessing it., the release says.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Lipman’s trial is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2021, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee. |
