In addition to the conviction on charged counts, Adams must forfeit all of the obscene films in his possession and his business websites.
Adams, who operated Hard2Find Videos and L & J and L and J, used the U.S. mail to ship the videos from Martinsville, Ind, to Martinsburg, W.Va.
“Unfortunately, this case is another in a line of victories for the government in recent obscenity cases,” First Amendment lawyer Lawrence G. Walters told XBIZ. “The nature of the content was not widely publicized, but apparently included some fisting material. That activity, on its own, has not been the focus of obscenity prosecution for a number of years now. However, West Virginia is generally a conservative Bible Belt area, so federal obscenity cases can be difficult to defend in that kind of jurisdiction. Since this case involved the mailing of DVDs, it does not appear that this conviction will be tremendously precedential for the adult Internet industry.”
Adams had previously been convicted of selling and distributing obscenity (bestiality videos) in 2002 in Marion County, Ind. He appealed the conviction, but the Indiana Supreme Court upheld it. Evidence from his previous conviction was used during this federal trial.
The Justice Department’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force prosecuted the case.
Adams faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. No sentencing date has been set.
