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James Drorbaugh describes every computer user’s worst nightmare:
While he was away or inattentive, an unscrupulous, perverted acquaintance downloaded hundreds of disgusting images and videos of child pornography, resulting in a raid of Drorbaugh’s home and, ultimately, a pending prison sentence of at least four years.
We wrote about the Arizona man on Friday, and Drorbaugh contacted us today to take issue with a couple of aspects of our article, notably the headline that calls him a “child-porn collector.” The article reports the recent plea agreement by Drorbaugh, who’s admitting to the possession of at least one image of child pornography in return for a four- to six-year prison sentence.
See also: James Oliver Drorbaugh of Arizona, Child-Porn Collector, Faces Four to Six Years in Slammer
Howard Snader, Drorbaugh’s attorney, told us on Friday that at least one other person had downloaded the bulk of the 480 pictures and 1,000-plus videos found on Drorbaugh’s computer. That man was sentenced last year to nine years in prison for an unrelated case involving child porn and drugs, Snader said.
But Drorbaugh tells us today he didn’t download a single picture or video of pornography. Nor did he know what was on his computer until the FBI’s investigation, he claims.
“Heck no!” he exclaimed when asked if he likes to view child pornography.
He works out of town three weeks out of the month and allowed his friends to use his home and pool while he was away, he says. He believes most of the illegal downloads occurred when he was out of town.
“I was too trustworthy,” says Drorbaugh, adding that he’s since been warning people he knows to make sure they know who’s using their computers.
He was told he’d be facing 30 years in prison if the case went to trial, forcing him to admit to knowingly possessing child pornography in his plea agreement, even though he didn’t know.
“At the least, I was pressured” into going along with the plea agreement, he says.
Yet Drorbaugh says he’s resigned to his fate. He’s scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on May 6. The plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of between four and six years. If Bolton rejects the agreement, Drorbaugh can try to reach another agreement with prosecutors or move toward a trial.
“What it comes down to — I have to do some prison time for it,” he says. “I have to take responsibility.”
This could happen to anyone, right?
