Man Pleads Guilty in Obscenity Case
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A New York man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to two counts of distributing obscene material in the form of two videos that a prosecutor described as “absolutely hideous.”
Frederick Passin’s prosecution grew out of an investigation by the Federal Obscenity Task Force, which was started by Los Angeles authorities frustrated by what they saw as a lack of prosecution of pornography producers and distributors on the East Coast.
“Los Angeles is the venue of receipt for hard-core pornography,” Special U.S. Atty. Michael Guarino said. “He (Passin) has been advertising in Los Angeles and sending hard-core materials here for years.”
A catalogue of 500 films and videos offered for sale by Passin’s company, Super Live Corp. of New York, includes videos that depict scenes of actual torture, Guarino said.
“The films are absolutely hideous,” he said. “This is the worst we’ve seen in Los Angeles.”
Passin entered his pleas before U.S. District Judge John Ideman. He faces up to five years in prison on each of the counts and a total of $500,000 in fines.
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