- A former Cortez High School teacher convicted last month
of possessing child pornography was sentenced Friday to 200 years in prison.
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- Judge Ruth Hilliard of Maricopa County Superior Court
sentenced Morton Robert Berger, 51, to 10 years for each of 20 counts of
sexual exploitation of a minor in connection with possessing 20 images
of child pornography. The sentences must run consecutively.
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- Phil Wooten, Berger's lawyer, tried to get the charges
dismissed in December, arguing that Arizona's child pornography law has
been declared unconstitutional by one Superior Court judge on grounds that
it is vague on the definitions of child pornography.
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- Berger's lawyers also argued that the mandatory sentencing
for possessing child pornography is far harsher than for defendants who
actually touch children.
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- But prosecutor Lisa Parsons said Berger didn't just "look
at pictures, he kept them in three-ring binders."
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- Parsons agreed that Arizona's law is the most severe
in the nation but said it was passed to protect children.
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- Texas has the next-toughest law, with sentences of 2
to 10 years. Some states consider the crime a misdemeanor.
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- http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0308wvberger08.html
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