The general counsel for the Florida Election Commission was arrested on Wednesday and faces charges of possession of child pornography, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Eric M. Lipman was charged with 11 counts of possession of child pornography and was taken into custody at the Leon County Detention Facility.
According to court records, Lipman’s arrest came after the Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force got a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children about child pornography that was transmitted through a Yahoo email account.
Police executed a search warrant at Lipman’s home on Wednesday assisted by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations. They obtained 19 files allegedly sent by Lipman’s email account and confirmed that each one contained child sexual abuse material.
Investigators also found internet searches involving child sexual abuse, pedophiles and children between the ages of 3 and 5 on his work laptop, court documents say.
Leon County Judge Augustus Aikens Jr. placed him on pretrial release Thursday during his first court appearance on the condition that he keep away from places where minors gather and to stay off the internet other than for matters involving work or his criminal case.
Lipman began working for the commission in 2001. Before that he was the senior attorney with the Florida Department of Children and Families in Leon, Wakulla and Franklin counties. He also served as an officer with the Capital Soccer Association, a nonprofit soccer league for boys and girls ages 4 to 17, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
