Court Rules 60-Year Child Porn Sentence Unreasonable
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A federal appeals court has thrown out a 60-year sentence for a former Michigan school official who pleaded guilty to child pornography, saying the punishment is unreasonable.
The sentence for Craig Aleo was well above the federal guidelines of 25 years. The appeals court said Tuesday that Detroit federal Judge Bernard Friedman didn't justify why the punishment should be so high when compared to similar cases.
The Davisburg man was an assistant superintendent at Walled Lake schools in Oakland County when he was caught in 2009 with child porn. He made a video with a 4-year-old girl.
The porn was on Aleo's computer when he was stopped by customs officials at the Canadian border.
The border bust led to a search of his home, where police found," according to a new release.
The judge called it "despicable." The appeals court also dismissed a $2,000 penalty against Aleo lawyer John Freeman who challenged some testimony ahead of a court hearing.
In a statement released at the time of sentencing, Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigations in Detroit, said Aleo's sentnce "sends a strong message."
"People who create and possess child pornography are truly putting our children at risk — we're talking about images depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in horrific ways. We will continue to work closely with our local law enforcement partners to seek justice for those who perpetrate these despicable crimes," he said.
Aleo will be sentenced again.
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