KEY POINTS
- A south african in the US is currently facing potential prison term for sharing child sex related material with a teenager.
- Meyer who is a farmer is being charged to court for sharing a child pornography.
- This court case could affect his immigration if found guilty.
Meyer the South African farmer now faces potential imprisonment of twenty years in an American prison after federal charges for distributing child sex related material with what appeared to be teenage female.
The federal court in New York has charged Marcell Meyer with distributing child pornography since the 43-year-old South African resident currently resides in the United States. US Attorney John A. Sarcone III together with Erin Keegan who heads Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Field Office made public statements confirming the charges.
According to Sarcone III Meyer allegedly exchanged explicit material with users of a social networking app including someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl.
Meyer’s arrest
Meyer received his arrest at a Jefferson County Alabama farm where he worked. Sarcone III announced that Meyer shared child pornography with an HSI undercover investigator whom he thought was a female child aged 13. Sarcone III emphasized that because Meyer stands in a state of innocence until proven guilty of his alleged crimes
The complaint contains nothing more than allegations at present. According to legal standards the defendant carries an innocence presumption which remains until proof of guilt emerges through legal proceedings.
South African farmer prison’s term range for the crime
The prison term for a guilty verdict against Meyer may extend from five years to a maximum of 20 years. The complaint against Meyer carries potential punishment including a five to twenty-year prison term together with penalties up to $250,000 and supervised release extending from five to life.
As part of the South African farmer post-prison requirements Meyer would need to sign up as a sex offender and he could encounter difficulties with his immigration status because of his felony conviction according to his statement.
The sentencing process depends on the specific law a defendant violated and factors from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and additional judicial considerations.
