FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 20, 2006

Isakson Praises Senate Passage of Bill to Protect Children from Sexual Predators
Bill Includes Isakson Legislation Creating Tougher Penalties for Child Internet Pornography 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today praised the Senate’s passage of legislation to help protect children from sexual predators. The bill includes provisions from legislation introduced by Isakson and U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) that dramatically increase penalties for anyone who downloads child pornography off the Internet and fixes current law to allow adults to sue those who download images of them taken when they were children.

The bipartisan bill, “Masha’s Law,” introduced by Isakson and Kerry in December, was inspired by Masha, a 5-year old girl adopted from a Russian orphanage in 1998 by Matthew Mancuso, who began sexually abusing Masha the first night she spent with him. Mancuso began disseminating Masha’s pictures over the Internet almost immediately, which is what led law enforcement to his home, where they were shocked to find that the victim was Mancuso’s adopted daughter. Subsequently, Masha was removed from the home and Mancuso was arrested, tried and convicted. However, hundreds images of Masha remain on the Internet and are being downloaded around the world.

“What happened to Masha was a terrible tragedy that should never be repeated. Unfortunately, reminders of her horrific ordeal remain posted on the Internet for all to see every day,” Isakson said. “We must impose more severe penalties against those who download these disgusting images of our nation’s innocent children.”

Under current law, a victim of child exploitation is entitled to civil statutory damages in U.S. District Court in the amount of $50,000. The legislation increases the statutory damages a victim of child exploitation can recover to at least $150,000. This increased penalty will serve as a deterrent to those who disseminate and possess child pornography, as well as a means of compensating victims of this terrible abuse.

The legislation also fixes a flaw in the current law that prevents adults from suing those who download images of them taken as minors. The current statute has been interpreted literally by a federal district court to restrict recovery to only those victims who are under 18 at the time of the crime. The legislation clarifies the statute to include victims of child pornography who are injured after they turn 18 by the downloading of their pornographic images.

In addition to the provisions contained in Isakson and Kerry’s legislation, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 creates a National Sex Offender Registry with uniform standards for the registration of sex offenders, including a lifetime registration requirement for the most serious offenders, and it establishes strong federal penalties for sex offenders who fail to register. The legislation also enables child protective service officials in all 50 states to share information and more effectively investigate child abuse cases.

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