Ex-Fla. Official Facing Fed Porn Charges

Source: by Mitch Stacy AP via Guardian

The former spokesman for Florida's child welfare agency paid two 16-year-old boys for sexually explicit photos of themselves and then brokered the images to overseas pornographers, according to a complaint filed Monday by federal prosecutors.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7302297

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:puke::argh:

Jebby!

Freaking perverts do seem to grow awfully well in the R party. :puke:

there was a Florida connection. sybylla started a thread in the Wisconsin forum that expanded a bit.

"BREAKING: Child abduction, abuse, possible homicide in Portage" (started 6-15-2007)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=186x21098

I know that madfloridian and some other members have reported specifically on the Florida Department of Children and Families.

I combined some of sybylla's thread into another one that discussed some of the horrors that continue to occur-this pornography case is not in the same class of crimes as what is in the archived thread below, but there are systemic crimes against children and vulnerable people committed by those that have been entrusted to care for them.

"The screaming of children in quiet Portage, Wisconsin" (archived thread started 6-22-2007)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1161061

When someone engaged in kiddie porn feels confident enough to ask a co-worker for help evading police.

Zimmerman, after becoming aware that he was being investigated, asked a child welfare agency computer technician to throw his home computer in an outdoor trash container so authorities couldn't get access to it, the affidavit said.

He was covering for the DCF in the Garlin murder/torture case last summer.

Here is a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article by Tom Held and Tom Kertscher from June 22, 2007 that hightlights some of what Director Butterworth was stating then.

"Portage defendant blames boyfriend. Florida to scrutinize lapse in reporting child gone."
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=623792

Fair use cited.

<snip>

"The federal affidavit said Michael Hernandez, a DCF computer technician, was in Zimmerman's driveway when investigators arrived with a warrant on Jan. 31. Hernandez said that two days earlier, "he had 'wiped' and reformatted the Dell laptop computer that the DCF had assigned to Zimmerman," because "Zimmerman wanted everything off of the computer."

The affidavit also said Hernandez told police he removed Zimmerman's home computer, at his request, and put it in a Dumpster.

DCF spokeswoman Erin Geraghty said Henandez has not been charged with any offense but was fired by the department."

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/NEWS01/802120327

No one here would ever do such a thing, but...

If, just for the sake of argument, you had a computer that was chock full of felonies, would you:

a) Call your company's IT department and ask them to low-level format your laptop because you "want everything off the computer" and also to throw your home computer in a Dumpster, thereby giving the state a witness against you

or

b) Put a new hard drive in your home machine, beat the old one flat with a sledgehammer, then run over your laptop thirty or forty times with your car then claim to have "accidentally" left it on the roof of your car when you came to work this morning

?

As a result of the arrest of Al Zimmerman the DCF is now reviewing all its employees-Mr. Zimmerman has been released on bail, it is thought that there are more victims.

"DCF checking data on all its employees: Seeking more possible victims of an accused ex-spokesman" by Thomas W. Krause and Catherine Dolinski (Tampa Tribune 2-6-2008)

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080206/NEWS/802060445/-1/HELP0530

"State to pay $2.26 million to settle sex abuse cases" by Jon Burstein (South Florida Sun-Sentinel 2-4-2008)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/nationworld/sfl-flbferrara0204pnfeb04,0,7532793.story 

Bob Butterworth is still Director of DCF, he gets a handsome salary.  Al Zimmerman was making over $75k yearly and he posted a $150k bail.

How much is a life worth?

"No charges in many children's deaths" by Erin Gillespie (News-Press.com 10-28-2007)

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/SS08/71027038
I wonder what it is about Florida-I recall "The Finders" case involving Marion Pettit in Tallahassee, I remember Mel Sembler, Mark Foley, the plight of the Katrina refugees...

Republican sex offender & Department of Children & Families press secretary Al Zimmerman, 40, was arrested Friday, Feb 1, 2008 and charged with eight felony charges of using a child in a sexual performance. According to an arrest report, Zimmerman offered two teens money in exchange for photographing them in sexual acts. The victims were ages 16 and 17 at the time of the crime, and at least one may have been in the care of DCF at one point, according to the report. Authorities believe some of the images date back to December 2005, the arrest report showed. Zimmerman is suspected of taking photos as recently as Friday, the report showed.

http://www.republicansexoffenders.com

Donald Fleischman, was charged with child sex abuse involving "runaways" from a local adjudicated youth residential facility. There was a lot more to it then that-the corruption in Brown County is on a par with anywhere in the world. Charges were dropped.

Several DUers blogged and reported on that case. What is it with Republicans and crimes against children?

"Green Bay GOP Party Chair Indicted On Child Sex Crimes" (posted by goofticket 10-13-2007 uppitywis.org)
http://www.uppitywis.org/green-bay-gop-party-chair-indicted-on-child-sex-crimes

"Teen Gay Sex Charges Dropped Against Brown County GOP Ex-Head" (posted by Michael Horne 11-8-2007 Milwaukee World)
http://www.milwaukeeworld.com/blog/2007/11/teen-gay-sex-charges-dropped-against.html

Yep, the former Republican Party Chairman of Brown County Wisconsin-right up there with Mark Foley imo.

Republican Hypocrisy Revealed
http://www.armchairsubversive.org/