Former South Florida Ice Head Charged with Child Porn

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for South Florida has been charged with sex crimes including child pornography, and prosecutors are hoping to gain a conviction and sentence of seven years in prison. The ICE director was turned in by AOL, his Internet service provider, for having child pornography on his computer and was placed on paid leave from his job until the matter was investigated.

Further investigation uncovered evidence that revealed as many as 150 child porn pictures had been downloaded on his laptop, some of them depicting children as young as three. Ironically, the ICE officer had been active in prosecuting child pornography suspects and had attended special classes in Portugal on identifying and stopping child pornography offenders. The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography in July.

The defendant had allegedly taken part in chat conversations with other child pornography collectors and had sent images to these “friends.” Online, he allegedly posed as a mother who engaged in sexual abuse of her daughters.

Child pornography is a subject that often elicits strong feelings on the part of the public and prosecutors. As with any crime that raises strong emotion, there is a danger that the defendant’s rights will be ignored or abused in order to get a conviction. Anyone accused of a crime that involves an emotional subject such as child pornography can usually benefit from the help of a criminal defense attorney.

Source: Broward Palm Beach New Times, “Anthony V. Mangione, Former ICE Chief, to Be Sentenced for Child Porn,” Chris Joseph, Nov. 9

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