Source: reuters.com 1/30/26 New Mexico AG alleges Meta enabled child exploitation on platforms Meta claims First Amendment, Section 230 shield it from liability Meta faces scrutiny over child safety, mental health impacts Jan 30 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab is set to face trial next week in a lawsuit brought by the state of New Mexico accusing it of exposing children and teens to sexual exploitation on its platforms and profiting from it, the first case of its kind against the social media giant to reach a jury. The…
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MO: #TheyLied Defamation Plaintiff, Suing Over Rape Allegations, Can Prove Reputational Harm with His Own Testimony
Source: reason.com 1/28/26 In Apperson v. Kaminsky, decided Friday by the Missouri Supreme Court (opinion by Justice Paul Wilson, Apperson sued his ex-romantic partners Kaminsky and Norman for defamation (see the intermediate appellate decision for more factual details): After [their] involvements ended, Norman told more than one person Apperson raped and abused her, and Kaminsky told others (in person and through an extensive social media campaign intended to reach those with whom Apperson dealt personally and professionally) that Apperson stalked and raped her, was a serial rapist and serial abuser, was restrained from…
Read MoreFL: Lawmakers take another try at identifying what is ‘harmful to minors’
Source: floridaphoenix.com 1/27/26 Access by children to library materials could be at stake. A Florida House committee sent to the House floor a bill that would define how school library materials may be “harmful to minors,” building on a controversial 2023 law that led to removal of library books from schools based on objections from the public. The House Education & Employment Committee approved HB 1119, its second and final committee, despite concerns from the public, some lawmakers, and advocacy groups that the bill may be used to eliminate books…
Read MoreKY: Sixth Circuit reinstates Kentucky ban on anonymous social media use by sex offenders
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 1/27/26 A proposed class of convicted sex offenders failed to meet the high bar required for broad injunctive relief when it made a facial challenge to a Kentucky law that bans their anonymous use of social media, according to a ruling Monday from the Sixth Circuit. A panel of the appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers. An anonymous plaintiff filed suit on behalf of a class shortly after Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 249 into law and required…
Read MoreIL: State’s attorney explains ‘short’ sentence for sex offender
Source: myjournalcourier.com 1/26/26 CARROLLTON — The Greene County state’s attorney said social media comments prompted him to make “a statement of reason” about a sex offender’s sentencing. Comments posted on Facebook were focusing on the sentencing of Kaleb _____, 24, who now is on the sex offender registry. He was charged with sexual assault of a minor between 13 and 17 years old. He initially was facing five charges, including two Class X felony child pornography charges, two felony child pornography charges, and sexual assault of a minor between…
Read MoreFL: Registrant ordered to move out of Florida home
Source: newsnationnow.com 1/24/26 CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — Michael Jonathan ______ was convicted on 17 counts of having child pornography on his computer. Court documents show he had more than 300,000 sexually explicit images of child pornography. Friday, he stood before Judge Julie Sercus to ask that he be allowed to live in his home while serving probation for his convictions. The state argued that there is a park and a daycare located in close proximity to the home Michael would like to remain in. His attorney said the park doesn’t…
Read MoreVA: Virginia man convicted of child pornography possession despite autism defense
Source: kristv.com 1/23/26 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 26-year-old Virginia man with previous ties to Corpus Christi was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material after a jury rejected his defense that autism prevented him from understanding the illegality of his actions. Anthony ____ was found guilty following a three-day trial and approximately nine hours of jury deliberation, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced. The investigation began in October 2023 when authorities discovered Anthony had been engaging in activity involving images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement…
Read MoreMO: Missouri Rep. introduces castration bill HB 1687
Source: ozarksfirst.com 1/20/25 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri State Rep. Scott Cupps (District 158) has filed a bill for the current legislative session that would allow courts to sentence ‘certain sex offenders’ to be surgically castrated. The McDonald and Barry County Representative’s bill says, if passed, the procedure would be done by a licensed physician from the Department of Corrections. As of now, the bill, HB 1687, is not scheduled for any committees or on the House calendar but was pre-filed on December 1, 2025. The summary language reads, “Before a…
Read MoreFAC Nationwide Call to Action: Oppose Massive Florida Homeless. Make Calls Now to Fight HB 45 / SB 212
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 1/15/26 [ACSOL encourages everyone to make some calls to fight this insanity] HB 45 and SB 212 are dangerous, extreme, and counterproductive. SB 212 would banish more than 30,000 Floridians from “being” within 200 feet of a body of water and both bills would make 80% of Florida uninhabitable, displacing thousands of families from their homes and causing thousands to lose stable employment. These bills undermine public safety by increasing homelessness, instability, unemployment, and monitoring challenges. The bills will: Push thousands into homelessness by making the majority of…
Read MoreFL: South Florida registered sex offender’s citizenship revoked: U.S. Attorney
Source: nbcmiami.com 1/20/26 A Peruvian-born registered sex offender who was living in South Florida has had his U.S. citizenship revoked after he obtained it by fraud, authorities said. Renzo William _______, 25, had his citizenship revoked and Certificate of Naturalization canceled, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Tuesday. Renzo, who had been living in Fort Lauderdale, was also sentenced to 100 days of home detention and one year of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization, prosecutors said. Court records, on…
Read MoreMO: Attorney General Requests New Hearing in MO Halloween Sign Challenge
Source: ACSOL The Missouri Attorney General filed a petition today with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals asking for reconsideration of the Court’s decision issued on January 2. That decision agreed with plaintiff that the Missouri state law at issue requiring all registrants to post a sign on their home on Halloween was unconstitutional. In its petition, the Attorney General argues that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeal judges that ruled in favor of plaintiff misapplied controlling U.S. Supreme Court precedent as well as a decision by the 5th Circuit…
Read MoreSC: Prosecutors want 20-year sentence for ex-South Carolina lawmaker for sharing child sex abuse videos
Source: abcnews.go.com 1/13/26 Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year sentence for a former South Carolina legislator who pleaded guilty to distributing child sex abuse videos on social media COLUMBIA, S.C. — Prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence a former Republican South Carolina legislator to 20 years in prison for sending hundreds of videos of children being sexually abused to people across the country on social media as he advocated for several laws meant to protect kids. RJ May is asking the judge for mercy and a five-year sentence, saying he was addicted to…
Read MoreWA: Legislators Furious Hysteria Over Re-Entry Housing Facility for Sex Offenders
Source: newstalk870.am 1/13/26 According to information released by 8th District legislators Senator Matt Boehnke, and House Reps Stephanie Barnard and April Connors–as well as Kennewick Police–the sex offender home is coming to Kennewick. The operator of a similar facility in Walla Walla has applied to have one in Kennewick Since 2017 Joe Fields has operated Joe’s Place in Walla Walla, where as many as 9 registered mostly low-level sex offenders are voluntarily housed. That facility began just after creation of the state’s STAR Program or Succesful Transition and Re-Entry Program. It is supposed to get offenders on…
Read MoreSC: Bills aim to stiffen penalties for CP, including a minimum penalty
Source: foxcarolina.com 1/8/25 COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – As South Carolina lawmakers prepare to head back to the statehouse, there’s now a push to crack down on penalties for child predators. FOX Carolina Investigates previously uncovered how hundreds of offenders convicted of having child pornography are able to avoid prison time. In South Carolina, if someone has child pornography, also called child sexual abuse material, they are charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. The law carries three degrees depending on the severity of the crime. For first degree, which is the…
Read MoreFL: Zoning committee approves ordinance that allows Jacksonville daycare to reopen within 2,000 feet of sex predator
Source: news4jax.com 1/7/26 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Land Use and Zoning committee approved an ordinance that allows a day care to reopen within 2,000 feet of a sex predator. The current city code requires a 2,500-foot distance between the two. The request that the day care owner is making would shrink that distance to 1,980 feet, putting the offender just outside the radius. “There is a great need for day care in the neighborhood,” Paul Harden, the attorney for the day care, said. “This provides day care for folks who work…
Read MoreIL: Lakemoor man accused of creating homemade bomb with intent to blow up alleged sex offender
Source: lakemchenryscanner.com 1/7/26 Prosecutors say a Lakemoor man created a homemade explosive device, which required the bomb squad to respond, and they believe he intended to blow up an alleged sex offender. Joseph A. Savino, 43, of Lakemoor, was charged with one count of possession of an explosive or incendiary device, a Class 1 felony. The Lakemoor Police Department responded on October 18 to the 31800 block of Darrell Road in Lakemoor for a report of a burglary. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said a caretaker arrived at…
Read MoreAL: A new record? Guntersville sex offender gets 200 years in prison for 10 counts of child porn posession
Source: waaytv.com 1/5/26 The Marshall County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that a Guntersville man has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Gary Stephen Greenwell, 67, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to ten counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. Due to a prior felony conviction, the statutory punishment for each count was two to 20 years in prison. Greenwell was sentenced to 20 years for each of the ten counts which will be served consecutively. The D.A.’s office says that in…
Read MoreKY: Kentucky State Police recognize scammed registrants as a vulnerable group being exploited rather than simply a criminal category
Source: marshallcountydaily.com 12/21/25 (MAYFIELD, Ky.) — Kentucky State Police Post 1 is alerting the public about a recent surge in scam calls, including schemes specifically targeting individuals listed on the Sex Offender Registry. In multiple incidents reported over the past several days, registered sex offenders have received fraudulent phone calls from someone falsely claiming to be KSP Post 1 Commander Captain Joey Adams. The impersonator tells victims they have an outstanding warrant related to their registry status and demands payment for bond money. “This is a scam,” KSP officials emphasized…
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