Perez Hilton 'could face child porn charges'

[morosco]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 10:14am

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton may be investigated under child pornography laws after posting a semi-naked image of teen starlet Miley Cyrus on his Twitter page.

(Many sites are now reporting that the pic was photoshopped but according to lawyers even if it is photoshopped it would still be considered child pron.)
Perez Hilton 'could face child porn charges'

[Marianne2]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 10:23am

He gets what he deserves. I don't like him at all.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 10:39am

Not surprising. What a dumbass.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 10:53am

He is such a tool. I hope he gets nailed

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 11:04am

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:10pm

From a Salon.com article:


Jeffrey Douglas, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who specializes in child pornography cases, told Salon that Hilton's liability is "extraordinary and intense" and that it was "suicidal for him to do this." He added: "We're not talking about a misdemeanor. You don't have to know what the definition of the law is; all you have to do is knowingly distribute the photograph" -- which Hilton, or someone with access to his Twitter account, most certainly did. It doesn't matter much whether Hilton took the photo, owns the photo or published the photo -- as long as he knowingly distributed the link.


Some are speculating that the image was Photoshopped -- so, what then? "Under the law, that is still a crime and it is punishable just the same," says Douglas. "For instance, if you were to take the face of an 8-year-old and put that picture on the nude body of even an identifiable, fully developed adult porn star, it is child-porn punishable identical to if you took a photo of the actual child." What's more, depending on how the image is presented, there is the potential for the shot to be considered child porn even if Cyrus is actually wearing form-fitting underwear; in fact, Douglas says there has been debate in the past over similar images Hilton has published of Cyrus in the past. All it will take is an enterprising attorney interested in making an example out of him; he could be prosecuted on the state or federal level -- or both -- with a conviction potentially resulting in a 15-year sentence and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Douglas says that "if he's not prosecuted, there is one reason why: his name is Perez Hilton."

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:12pm

T-minus how long until he claims his account was hacked?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:43pm

Thanks to Bill Clinton and Janet Reno's Justice Department, if you cut pictures from a kid's clothing catalogue and made a collage out of them that put them in "compromising" positions, you're a child pornographer.

[Jilani]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:57pm

For accuracy's sake, the current legal regime that makes this a crime is post-Clinton/Reno. "Virtual" child pornography is a crime pursuant to a federal statute passed in 2003 that was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 7-2 ruling in 2008.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:57pm

Good riddance to gay rubbish.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 1:00pm

I honestly doubt anything will come of this, but wouldn't it be lovely if something did?

[AngryPirate]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 1:01pm

papa?

[romantico]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:33pm

Perez is taking all of this very seriously.

Perez Responds:

http://perezhilton.com/2010-06-15-miley-photo-controversy-perez-responds

Frankly, I'm surprised he did not post the pictures of Gary Coleman on his deathbed on his site.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:44pm

He's accusing the media of running with a non-story? Like a certain protest that was supposed to go down last week? He's the queen of running with a non-story.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:49pm

Of course Perez is taking this seriously and trying to spin it as a non-issue. He just saw his future sex life with possible jail time as a child porn peddler and the scenario didn't involve ChiChi LaRue. Add sex offender registration and Perez must be sweating bullets. It was just a matter of time before he went too far and his time may be up.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:50pm

Heres to hoping he gets what's coming to him!!

[romantico]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:54pm

Is Castro still dead?

http://perezhilton.com/?p=4401

http://gawker.com/5395452/perez-hiltons-rumors-of-fidel-castros-death-were-greatly-exaggerated

[Luscious]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 3:00pm

So is convicting someone who is clearly not a child pornographer of child pornography just? Believe me, I'm no fan of Perez Hilton's, but it just seems misguided and an incredible waste of time, money and resources. Convict him of bad taste, obnoxious behavior, or even of being a gigantic a$$hole, but reserve the label of child pornographer for those who have truly earned it.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 3:04pm

He is a complete idiot. He pulls immature strops all the time when he doesn't hear what he likes instead of being diplomatic.

Anyone who can post stuff like Jaclyn Smith being dead when she is on vacation with her family is a piece of sh*t

Now, did he also post the photos of Kardashyan and Bieber together? I think Kim or Justin posted them herself but if Perez photoshopped them into something sinister, can you imagine he sh&t storm?

I am not a miley fan and I think she looks 40 and was even told that by a kid in england who didn't recognize her. She is by no means a pure, innocent girl from stuff i have seen, but this does not excuse what Perez did and if I were her, I would sue him as well as well as testify against him. I feel bad for her actually. Nothing is private

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 3:34pm

I'm with Luscious, and I loathe Perez.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 3:35pm

^ I am, too. And I do, too.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 3:47pm

"So is convicting someone who is clearly not a child pornographer of child pornography just?"

Tell it to Al Capone, who had the book thrown at him for reasons having nothing to do with what he was in fact guilty of. The laws exist. Perez broke them. Anything to take the idiot down a peg or nine I can accept, especially since he seems to think he's above it all: ie, his use of the word "faggot". I understand the higher moral ground, and I do ally with Lucious and Reg, but this time? I'm willing to bend my morals a little. I truly would like to see this awful person pay just a little for the slime he spreads.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 4:01pm

Yes, but Capone was at least ALSO guilty of tax evasion.

If Perez didn't do anything illegal, I'd just as soon not build a false case, simply because he's loathesome.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 4:22pm

Totally agree, but it would seem in this case that he did, in fact, break the law, as absurd a law as that may be. I am appalled that he is making a joke of this, and yes, if he can be prosecuted, under the law, he should be.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 4:22pm

The point is, under the law, it's very possible that Perez DID do something illegal. No matter how you feel about the law, it does exist. And knowing posting a nude pic (even if it's photoshopped) of an underage girl can be considered disseminating child pornography.