Federal prosecutors in James Freeman's vast Internet child porn case have asked for more time because the FBI "seized more evidence than it could have imagined" in busting him.
Freeman, 48, formerly of Church Street in Santa Rosa Beach, was one of 12 men indicted in March for his role in a global porn ring that investigators say stretched to Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada.
He faces numerous federal charges: Engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy, advertisement of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and obstruction of justice.
"This case is one of the largest digital seizures in the history of the FBI," reads the prosecutors' motion for a continuance in Freeman's trial. They say they need until August to get through it, "even using all of the resources of the FBI."
The evidence includes about 58 terabytes of information from several defendants' computer hard drives.
By comparison, a typical video store may contain about 8 terabytes of video data. In 2006, when YouTube.com reportedly stored 45 terabytes of video data for viewing online, it was providing more than 100 million videos each day. Examiners have been working on the data "non-stop 24 hours per day, 7 days per week since the evidence was received," according to the motion.
At least two defendants in the case have pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment lists several of the men's online descriptions of teens or children engaged in sex acts. One describes girls under 10 years old who are "heavily drugged" and abused.
In one message, Freeman thanks the others for their participation: "My thanks to you and all the others that together make this the greatest group of pedos to ever gather in one place. I'm honored just to be a part of it," according to his indictment.
The charges were filed after investigators infiltrated the network. By then, the group had already traded more than 400,000 images and videos of child sex abuse, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pensacola alleges.
In a Daily News story March 8, it was reported that Freeman also was a registered sex offender who served as the executive director of a campaign to reform Megan's Law and change sex offender registration requirements.
His organization's Web site, www.SOhopeful.org, shut down soon after that.
Although Florida's sex offender registry lists Freeman's status as released, his listed address is at the Santa Rosa County Jail.
An officer there said he was being held for U.S. Marshals.
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