LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors trying Ira Isaacs in Los Angeles are planning on calling eight experts specializing in computer forensics when his obscenity case goes to trial.
Isaacs' defense attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, told XBIZ that prosecutors are trying to link Isaacs' use of transmission of computer correspondence and advertising with federal agents who purchased alleged contraband material.
"The government is spending a lot of resources for material of facts that are not in dispute," Diamond said.
"This is unbelievable overkill [using so many government computer forensic experts]," said Diamond, noting that an "amazing" amount of federal money is going in to prosecuting the obscenity case.
"And just yesterday we had a pretrial meeting where the government flew [Justice Department prosecutor] Damon King all the way from Washington, instead of using a local prosecutor that could have done the same thing."
When asked how much it has cost taxpayers so far over the Isaacs case, Diamond said the figure was close to "a couple hundred thousand dollars."
Last week, prosecutor King asked the court to add lead Justice Department forensic specialist Matthew Goward to the witness list, as well as Richard Buster, Erin Gabor, Viktor Grose, Gregory Hermanson, Jacqueline Malak, Lee Shepps and Hesz Rivera, all of the FBI’s Computer Analysis and Response Team.
"The government anticipates that they will provide testimony regarding the accepted procedures and methods in the field of computer forensics, the imaging of the data storage devices, processing the image with forensic tools, verifying the processes of imaging and copying, providing FBI Special Agents and other computer forensic examiners access to images of data storage devices, making duplicate copies of the image and duplicating specific portions of the image for and at the request of the FBI Special Agents and other computer forensic examiners," the government's filing said.
Isaacs in April was faced with new federal obscenity charges, which join three older ones, alleging that his companies, Stolen Car Films and LA Media, distributed by mail "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 7," "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 10," "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 38," "Trailers" and "Japanese Doggie 3 Way" — all deemed "obscene matter" by federal prosecutors.
Isaacs originally was charged in 2007 with federal obscenity violations over the mail distribution of “Gang Bang Horse — ‘Pony Sex Game’” and “Mako’s First Time Scat,” as well as “Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 7.”
Isaacs has pled not guilty on all counts.
His trial at U.S. District Court still has not been calendared but the trial will likely start sometime next year.
