State Ward Shows All

February 2, 2008 permalink

An employee of Florida's Department of Children & Families, Al Zimmerman, produced erotic movies as a sideline. Where did he get the actors? One was a ward of his own department.

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Porn Charge for Child Welfare Official

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON – 15 hours ago (Feb 2 2008)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A spokesman for the state agency that oversees the welfare of children was arrested Friday on charges that he solicited minors, at least one of whom may have been in state custody, to create pornography, authorities said.

Al Zimmerman of the state Department of Children & Families has been fired, agency officials said. The 40-year-old was charged with eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance and faces up to 120 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

"It's totally deplorable. There's absolutely no excuse for this. There were absolutely no indicators," Bob Butterworth, secretary of the department, told The Associated Press. "As all of us in the DCF, we were shocked and we were horrified."

A telephone message left on Zimmerman's cell phone was not immediately returned. The jail had no listing for an attorney.

Authorities say Zimmerman solicited at least two victims in Tampa between ages 16 and 17 to create child pornography. The agency is fairly certain that one has been or is in state custody, Butterworth said.

Zimmerman was arrested in Lakeland, where his parents live, and booked in the Hillsborough County jail on $60,000 bond.

"Every photograph, every image, every lasting impression of a child's sexual abuse perpetuates this horrible crime over and over again," Attorney General Bill McCollum said in a statement.

paragraphs unrelated to Zimmerman omitted

Source: Associated Press, hosted by Google