The following types of conduct can result in federal prosecution for a child pornography offense:
- Production, Distribution, Reception, And Possession. Federal law prohibits the production, distribution, reception, and possession of an image of child pornography using or affecting any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce.
- Buying And Selling Children. In addition, federal law specifically prohibits any parent, legal guardian, or other person in custody or control of a minor under the age of 18, to buy, sell, or transfer custody of that minor for purposes of producing child pornography.
- Importation Into The United States. Federal law prohibits any persons outside of the United States from knowingly producing, receiving, transporting, shipping, or distributing child pornography with intent to import or transmit the visual depiction into the United States.
- Sexual Exploitation of Children. Federal law makes it illegal to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for purposes of producing visual depictions of that conduct. Typically, this involves someone using the internet to prompt a child to perform a sex act that is photographed or videotaped.
