TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Eric Matthew Lipman, 59, of Tallahassee, Florida, was arrested this morning after a federal grand jury in Tallahassee returned an indictment charging him with conspiracy to produce, distribute, possess, and receive child pornography. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Beginning February 8, 2021, through February 11, 2021, the indictment alleges that Lipman conspired to distribute, receive, and possess material containing child pornography. The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, Lipman, along with others, was a participant in Mega.NZ chat groups that distributed, received, possessed, and discussed child pornography images and videos. It is further alleged that the participants posted child pornography images and videos within Mega.NZ chat groups for the benefit of other like-minded participants. The indictment alleges that Mega.NZ was an Internet cloud storage and file hosting service based in New Zealand. Lipman is also charged with receiving, distributing, and possessing material containing child pornography. The pornographic material allegedly found in Lipman’s possession involved a prepubescent minor, as well as a minor under the age of 12.
Lipman faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy, receiving material containing child pornography, and distributing material containing child pornography, with a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for possession of material containing child pornography, followed by a term of 5 years to life of supervised release on all counts following his prison sentence.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.
A jury trial for Lipman is scheduled for August 23, 2021, at 8:15am. He will be tried before the Honorable United States Chief District Judge Mark Walker at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
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