Rob, An article in the San Francisco Chronicle quotes Ward's attorney as saying his client downloaded and sent out "a few' images in a chat room in 2004 as part of research involving a book on the Internet. The Feds seized his computer in 2005 and found no porn on it. He was released yesterday on $250,000 bail. The indictment is under seal, so the government is releasing no information on the charges, thus we only have one side of the story. The lawyer says they've been trying to convince the government for two years that this was a mistake, not a pattern of behavior. It's a sad situation, no matter who's right. Bernie Ward has been known for years for his humanitarian and charity work, and I tend to believe his side, if only because his schedule probably didn't permit time for much else. But if you disobey the law, you disobey it, regardless of intent. And whatever his intent, he's undoubtedly in the biggest jam of his life. And his reputation will suffer, even if he's exonerated. -- Rick
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