Eric Lipman, previous standard counsel for the Florida Elections Fee, has been sentenced to six yrs in federal jail on baby pornography expenses.
Chief U.S. District Choose Mark Walker imposed the sentence during a Friday listening to at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee. Lipman should register as a sexual intercourse offender and provide nine yrs of supervised release soon after his remain in jail.
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Lipman, 60, was arrested April 7, 2021 — just about a year to the day of his sentencing — soon after the Leon County Sheriff’s Business office obtained a tip about his pc activity from the National Center for Lacking & Exploited Children.
Through a subsequent lookup of his household, community, state and federal legislation enforcement officers learned 19 documents of kid sexual abuse materials. They also observed online queries on his get the job done notebook involving baby sexual abuse, pedophiles and children amongst the ages of 3 and 5, according to arrest records.
“Those who search for to view and share little one pornography aid the abuse of little ones by those people who produce and profit from this illegal articles,” claimed U.S. Legal professional Jason Coody in a information release. “With the guidance of our legislation enforcement companions, we will ensure that those people who have interaction in these types of heinous conduct will be held accountable for their steps.”
Lipman entered into plea settlement
Lipman entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last month. In exchange for pleading responsible to 1 depend of conspiring to distribute, receive and have kid pornography and one depend of distributing child pornography, two other counts have been dropped.
Lipman began performing for the Elections Fee in 2001 as an assistant standard counsel, growing to chief legal counsel nine a long time afterwards. He was fired soon after his arrest. In advance of that, he labored as a senior attorney for the Florida Division of Little ones and Family members in Leon, Wakulla and Franklin counties.
His attorney, Richard H. Smith of Tallahassee, wrote in a sentencing memo that Lipman “lived an exemplary life” that was blemished by unlawful conduct that occurred about a 3-hour period of time on Feb. 11, 2021.
“3 hours of Mr. Lipman’s 60 a long time have brought him to this issue in his daily life,” wrote Smith, who asked for the lowest possible sentence.
But John Condon, specific agent in cost of Homeland Stability Investigations in Tampa, known as Lipman a boy or girl predator who conspired with other folks to sexually exploit young youngsters.
“Because of the investigative get the job done of HSI and our law enforcement companions at the Leon County Sheriff’s Business, he will no lengthier be capable to harm our most vulnerable,” Condon said in the news launch.
Sheriff Walt McNeil mentioned he applauded the collaborative hard work by companies included in the investigation: “We need to keep on to do our because of diligence in defending our most vulnerable and treasured users of our community.”
Speak to Jeff Burlew at [email protected] or observe @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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