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Child porn investigations keep FBI agents busy

Guilty plea, charges in two unrelated cases

A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography using peer-to-peer software provided by iMesh. David Leroy Knellinger Sr, 59, faces five to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release for an indefinite term after being released from prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 17, 2007.

Knellinger admitted to using iMesh in April, 2005, to run searches related to children engaging in sexual conduct. He downloaded three illegal videos, including one of a girl aged 10 or 11 who was performing a sex act on a man. The victim in that video was later identified by law enforcement officers, and her alleged abuser, Kenneth Freeman, remains a fugitive who is on the "15 Most Wanted" list of the United States Marshals Service, according to the FBI.

The guilty plea, made last Tuesday, came the same week that a former law professor was charged with possessing child porn on at least two PCs under his control. Murdaugh Stuart Madden Jr, 58, possessed an unspecified number of illegal images on machines issued by his former employer, Pace Law School in New York, and Santa Clara University Law School, where he was a visiting professor last year.

Madden faces ten years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. According to a document filed last week with the US District Court in San Jose, California, he remained free and was to appear in court for arraignment on May 10. The prosecution is a result of an investigation by the Santa Clara (California) Police Department and the FBI.

Attempts to reach Madden were unsuccessful. His attorney, Tony Boskovich, last week told the Lower Hudson Online: "At this point, all I can say is he has had a long and distinguished career as a lawyer and law professor. We are reviewing the documents at this time." ®

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