“You are a sexual pervert—now prove otherwise.”
This happened to a man in Oregon who died under a cloud of suspicion semi-estranged form his children. It was later determined the allegation against him was false, but the damage had been done.
THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY WE HAVE THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE IN ALL CRIMINAL TRIALS.
False Child Pornography Accusation: How a Target Employee’s Report Led to FBI Investigation
In July of 2018, an employee at a Target store in Tigard, Oregon accused Jeffrey Buckmeyer of having child pornography materials on his mobile phone.
The accusation sparked an FBI investigation.
Buckmeyer had asked an electronics department employee for help freeing up storage space on his iPhone, which is when the unidentified employee then claimed he saw the explicit images, according to the The Oregonian. The employee alerted security personnel, who took down Buckmeyer’s license plate number.
A Target employee then made a detailed report to law enforcement claiming that they saw the images on Buckmeyer’s phone. The two employees involved are listed in the complaint as “John Doe #1” and “John Doe #2.”
A month later, in August 2018, Buckmeyer was detained and questioned by law enforcement officers and the FBI seized several electronic devices from his home.
The Devastating Cost of False Accusations: Man Dies Before Clearing His Name
While he was investigated, Buckmeyer’s neighbors were made aware of the allegations against him and his ability to spend time with his daughter was reduced, according to the complaint.
A review by the FBI and an independent forensics expert determined that Buckmeyer never had any child pornography on any of his electronic devices, which were later returned to him.
Target’s false report wasted FBI time and resources that could have been used to pursue real criminals and ruined a man’s reputation.
Buckmeyer died in April of a heart attack, but his estate is suing Target.
False accusations can and do happen. Please contact us today if you need help with your case.
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