South Georgia Judge Arrested for Child Sexual Exploitation

According to reports out of South Georgia, a former magistrate judge, Carl Hrabovsky, has been arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of children and criminal solicitation.

Authorities have not released the information surrounding what exactly led to this arrest. But he resigned last month once the investigation started.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Lawyer, I will outline the criminal offense of sexual exploitation of a minor. In the story above, there have been no details released as to why Hrabovsky has been accused of committing this crime. As you will see below there are many different ways that a person can commit this offense.

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Georgia

Sexual exploitation of a minor in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in a list of actions outlined in O.C.G.A. §16-12-100. Legally, a minor means any person under the age of 18 years old. The actions are as follows:

• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, or coerce any minor to engage in or assist any other person to engage in any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual medium depicting such conduct.
• It is unlawful for any parent, legal guardian, or person having custody or control of a minor knowingly to permit the minor to engage in or to assist any other person to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual medium depicting such conduct.
• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, or coerce any minor to engage in or assist any other person to engage in any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of any performance.
• It is unlawful for any parent, legal guardian, or person having custody or control of a minor knowingly to permit the minor to engage in or to assist any other person to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of any performance.
• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to create, reproduce, publish, promote, sell, distribute, give, exhibit, or possess with intent to sell or distribute any visual medium which depicts a minor or a portion of a minor's body engaged in any sexually explicit conduct.
• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to advertise, sell, purchase, barter, or exchange any medium, which provides information as to where any visual medium, which depicts a minor, or a portion of a minor's body engaged in any sexually explicit conduct can be found or purchased.
• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to bring or cause to be brought into this state any material, which depicts a minor, or a portion of a minor's body engaged in any sexually explicit conduct.
• It is unlawful for any person knowingly to possess or control any material, which depicts a minor, or a portion of a minor's body engaged in any sexually explicit conduct.

Depending on the circumstances of the crime, sexual exploitation of a child can be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony offense in the state of Georgia. Misdemeanor convictions in Georgia carry penalties of fines up to $1,000, jail time up to one year, or both. A felony conviction can include a prison term between five and twenty years and a fine up to $100,000.

Practice Note

No matter how difficult the circumstances of the crime are - just because a person has been accused or arrested for a criminal offense that does not mean that he or she is guilty.

If you or a loved one has been arrested, contact our offices today. Offenses such as sex crimes in Georgia are highly stigmatized and can be very difficult to defend. That's where we come in. Call a Georgia Sex Crimes Attorney now.