Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

Legal Question

Dear sir,

While on the internet I accidentally stumbled across a website that may have contained illegal material (i.e. child porn) but I am not 100% sure. I exited the site immediately and reported the web site to the Ctr for Exploited Children, who informed me they will report it to the law enforcement. Anyway, I have been extemely upset & worried that this happened! Could I be prosecuted for posession under the law even though it was an accident? I am also concerned that the material could still be on my hard drive or there could be some sort of trojan virus that could be using my computer to distribute illegal spam through my email or something.

Also, is there any way I can find out if the site is illegal?? I checked the domain and it appears to be registered in the US.

I would greatly appreciate your advice as I am very upset and worried.

Kind regards.


Asked on 10/10/07, 1:26 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jay Hochberg

Re: Legal Question

The laws relating to child pornography, both at the state and federal level, are complex and unique in criminal law. I am not comfortable giving any specific advice in an online forum on these types of issues.

I can say that, generally speaking, your actions are consistent with that of an innocent person who made a simple mistake. Do NOT go back to that website for any reason. If you want to determine if it is "illegal", then I would advise you to retain an attorney on an hourly basis.

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Answered on 10/10/07, 1:32 pm


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