Threat Level - An Ohio lawyer who serves as an expert witness in child pornography cases might be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil damages for Photoshopping courtroom exhibits of children having sex. Attorney Dean Boland purchased innocent pictures of four juvenile girls from a Canadian stock-image website, and then digitally modified them to make it appear as if the children were engaged in sexual conduct. Boland was an expert witness for the defense in half-a-dozen child porn cases, and he made the mock-ups to punctuate his argument that child pornography laws are unconstitutionally overbroad because they could be applied to faked photos. Now, a federal appeals court decision (.pdf) is reinstating a civil lawsuit by the parents of two of the girls, potentially putting Boland on the hook for a minimum $300,000 plus legal costs.
"But it was for legal purposes!" Whatever, Creepy. Really, has there ever been a more amazing scam by a child porn enthusiast to legally perform his craft? I know, I'll go to law school, pass the bar, then I can dedicate my entire life to defending pedderasses all while photoshopping some kick-ass naked children pics! It's actually quite genius.
I just have this weird picture in my head of this dude alone at the public library late at night with glasses on, sweating as he so delicately edits some little boys' penis. "No, Dean...it's not good enough yet. You need better lighting effects..."
