Judge Questions Racial Disparity in Prosecutions of Hacker, Pornographer
A federal judge in Philadelphia questioned why a computer hacker was not charged with child pornography even though had had about 1,000 sexual images of children on his computer.
U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson combined the sentencing of the hacker yesterday with that of a convicted child pornographer to make a point, the Associated Press reports. The hacker, Ryan Goldstein, is a University of Pennsylvania senior who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of aiding another hacker. Prosecutors say his cooperation led to the arrest of at least seven others, including a New Zealand teen accused of infecting 1.3 million computers with malicious software, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Baylson noted that the child pornography defendant, Derrick Williams, also had about 1,000 images of child pornography on his computer, the stories say.
“It seems very unfair,” Baylson said. “I want to note for the record that Mr. Goldstein is white and Mr. Williams is African-American, and that adds to my discomfort.”
“This has weighed very heavily on my mind, as I think it would most judges,” Baylson added. “That’s why I’ve brought this case together with the Williams case.”
Baylson sentenced Goldstein to 90 days in a halfway house followed by 180 days of house arrest and five years’ probation, according to the Inquirer. He sentenced Williams to two years in prison, although sentencing guidelines had recommended a sentence of eight to 10 years.
