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MIDSHIPMAN 1ST CLASS POLLARD COURT MARTIAL PLEADS GUILTY</p>
<pre><code>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Midshipman 1st Class (senior, Class of 2008) Michael S. Pollard, 23, from Apopka, Fla., pled guilty to charges of violating two articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) based upon an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
At a General Court-Martial on Aug. 5, Pollard pled guilty to:
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<p> Violation of the UCMJ 133 Possession of pornography in Bancroft Hall and making a false official statement
Violation of the UCMJ 134 Receipt and possession of child pornography
A military judge sentenced Pollard to six years confinement, a dismissal from the Naval service, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. He will be transported immediately to the Navy brig in Norfolk, Va.
USNA
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<p>Wow, shocking news from the homepage of the USNA website.</p>
<p>Seems like a harsh punishment --- I read an article in the newspaper that said the supe can reduce the sentence if he feels it is warrented. Since I have no backround in naval law (with the exception of JAG and A Few Good Men) is this a typical case?</p>
<p>Covening Authorities can only approve of the maximum sentence but can reduce it as they see fit. Sometimes there are pre-trial agreements that the CA and individual workout (i.e. the CA will not approve confinement in excess of 3 years or only 1 months pay will be suspended, etc.)</p>
<p>I am not a lawyer nor pretending to be one but it looks like he may have gotten off light.</p>
<p>Article 133 - conduct unbecoming of an officer - get you one year
Article 134 - this is a catch all that includes writing a back check, kicking your dog and "Indecent acts or liberties with a child".<br>
Indecent acts or liberties with a child gets you 7 years.</p>
<p>child pornography is a federal crime punishable by 15-30 years (first offense) and registry as a sex offender.</p>
<p>The tiny article - devoid of lurid details since he didn't go to trial - did not indicate that he was specifically convicted of a sex crime and would have to register as a sex offender.</p>
<p>Without knowing the extent and content of the evidence against him and the plea negotiations, it's hard to determine whether he got off easy or not. </p>
<p>He was represented by counsel -- at least military and possibly civilian as well. The court also must accept his plea. </p>
<p>My guess, and it's only that, is that the military in generaly and USNA in particular intends to take a hard line on computer crime and child porn. I don't disagree with that, if it is in fact the case. Things only get tougher when you get older and become an officer and do these same things.</p>
<p>Very sad indeed. Obviously this was a chronic, deceitful behavior, not an even occasional incident. Dreams destroyed over poor choices over a period of many years. Gotta agree, as sad and heartbreaking as it is, it illustrates that the USNA and USN should and will treat these young people as adults. And that the sentence reflects the child abuse that this represents. The incident and court's decision would seem to be both tragic and just. And lying about it all was merely dishonoring the already dishonorable.</p>
<p>The very scary and even sadder part is that we could bet all we have that he's not alone. This behavior is epidemic among men, younger and older, and undoubtedly includes a great many Midshipmen.</p>
<p>WP: You are usually right on top of things but I have to question this one. Child pornography and the degredation and abuse of children is tragic and unconscionable in this or any other situation. I can not however accept your premise that you can extrapolate one case in the Brigade into "a great many Midshipmen".</p>
<p>2010: By "help they need outside the environs of the Academy" I hope you mean the "shrinks" can have them after proper investigation, prosecution, dismissal, confinement and any and all other procedures and punishment available under the applicable criminal statutes and/or relevant UCMJ Codes.</p>
<p>I hope both WP is incorrect in his summarization and generalization and that navy2010 is incomplete in presenting the perpetrator and his family as victims. The victims who deserve our prayers are the children out there who are being forced into this crime, not those who knowingly break the law.</p>
<p>No one needs to seek help 'outside the environs of the Academy'. Our tax dollars are expending big bucks to provide for eight, I think, chaplains. That is what they are there for.</p>
<p>Still I'll not back off my last statement an inch ... EXCEPT I should have differentiated ... pornography vs. CHILD pornography. But as you've both noted, and society does the precisely same thing, we somehow think these are vastly different phenomena. In fact, they're 1st cousins.</p>
<p>But in one case, the one that most certainly applies to a great man MidshipMEN, it's "boys being boys...heck ol' dad has his Playboys, right? No victims here." </p>
<p>And in this latter practice, the victims are simply less obvious. But they are there and they are plentiful. </p>
<p>btw, I fully concur 69er and AF. The victims in both of these most certainly embrace the families, the perps, and far beyond. But for the perp, it may be cultural indoctrination, poor judgement, and absolutely poor choices that he (and it's nearly always a he ... little diversity issue here) thought he wasn't doing anything "wrong." After all he didn't take those photos, right?</p>
<p>But if you think my summation and generalization are off target, I'd encourage some genuine research into this one. Sadly, I'm so on target, and even more sadly, families, children and women are victims of pornography, be it minor children or adults.</p>
<p>And I'll be the 1st to offer that this is one of those most nauseating notions that I'd like to join so many others in not considering about our boys of honor as there is nothing honorable or true in any of this. Might we agree on that?</p>
<p>with all due respect to USNA69, addiction to child porn is above and beyond chaplin expertice- and yes, we pay big bucks- and they do a fantastic job. </p>
<p>and by "outside the environs of the academy" it would be my expectation the guilty would be seperated and "treated" "outside the environs of the academy." Preying on children, in any fashion, has no room in officer ranks. Under any condition.</p>
<p>And there is a world of difference between adult porn and child porn.</p>
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Without knowing the extent and content of the evidence against him and the plea negotiations, it's hard to determine whether he got off easy or not.
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<p>I think that is good counsel we should all consider when commenting on the actions of others, especially when we know so little about the circumstances of the case. Which leads me to: </p>
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And there is a world of difference between adult porn and child porn.
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<p>Agreed. The only question is where you draw the line. Some have commented he got a harsh/light sentence. Did he have child porn in his possession as in photos of kids or compromising photographs of a teenage girlfriend who may have been 16 or 17 at the time of the photos? </p>
<p>As a side note, I don't know to what extent parents of "my generation" understand or appreciate the level and frequency of "sexting" as in sexual phone messages/images have become common among even middle school children and certainly quite common well into high school. It was news to both my wife and I when we recieved a notice from the High School our kids attend explaining the crack down on cell phone use and "abuse".</p>
<p>I think most adults would consider the images present on those phones child pornography and could result in some serious trouble for the owner of that phone especially if they are over 18 and receive an image from a minor.</p>
<p>"Did he have child porn in his possession as in photos of kids or compromising photographs of a teenage girlfriend who may have been 16 or 17 at the time of the photos?"</p>
<p>Photos of children.</p>
<p>"The sentence capped an emotional day of testimony in which lead prosecutor Lt. Justin Henderson was visibly disgusted as he spoke of more than 1,000 images and files of child pornography Pollard admitted downloading since he was a student at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I., five years ago. One of those files, Henderson said, was titled “Boy Party” and featured three 10 year-old boys having sex with each other; other files included sexually explicit pictures of boys “as young as 3.”" Midshipman</a> gets 5 years in child porn case - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
<p>Is it an epidemic or just a new vector for the disease? "Technology has done more than just revolutionize the way child pornography is produced, distributed and viewed. It has also united what used to be a community of outcasts." "'Before the Internet, it was difficult and risky for child exploiters... to share images, which left the child pornography industry relegated to small black markets in underground bookstores or secret mailings" (Department of Justice Report). I have observed that crime usualy leads detection and enforcement. The good guys are always playing catch up. Someone always dreams up a new way to perpetrate an old crime and then we start all over again.</p>