A New York man was sentenced March 21 to 262 months — almost 22 years — in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography. Prosecutors said that the man, Kenneth Burghardt, was released from prison on similar charges just seven months ago. Court documents show that Burghardt served 87 months in prison previously, after…

Late last year, the U.S. Sentencing Commission revised its sentencing guidelines for financial crimes in recognition, in part, of the declining value of the dollar. Last updated over a decade ago, the guidelines steer judges in financial crime cases toward prison sentences that vary based on the dollar value of ill-gotten gains. Opinions on the…

State and federal lawmakers and gun control advocates have long tried to strengthen gun restrictions for those convicted of domestic violence and other offenses. In many cases, those efforts have not been successful. And the mismatch between federal and state laws can create confusion. First, let’s cover federal law. Anyone convicted of a felony, other…

The FBI is facing significant controversy over the tactics it used to capture viewers and distributors of child pornography. In early 2015, the FBI took control of a website known as Playpen which was used to distribute large amounts of child pornography. For two weeks after the seizure of the site, from February 20, 2015,…