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S.D.Tex.: Border search of computer for child porn was reasonable

By John Wesley Hall, Jr.

Defendant was under investigation for trafficking in child pornography when he traveled to Colombia. On his return, he was selected for secondary screening, and officers looked at his laptop computer, finding child pornography. This border search was reasonable, even without reasonable suspicion, which the court finds there was. United States v. Verma, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34559 (S.D. Tex. April 8, 2010): Here, Verma argues that the search of his computer and CD-ROMs at the airport was non-routine, in part because the agents brought in a forensic expert with "accompanying electronic equipment" to conduct a thorough search of the computer. At the outset, the court notes that the testimony does not support this characterization of the search...continue to full post

Full post as published by Fourth Amendment on April 10, 2010 (boomark / email).