This isn’t a news story as much as a DOJ press release, of which there are many many thousands available. News agencies have picked it up to get clicks, that do

This isn’t a news story as much as a DOJ press release, of which there are many many thousands available. News agencies have picked it up to get clicks, that doesn’t make the guy less guilty. News agencies do the same when a mass murder goes to jail, should we assume that is unexpected too? Anyways, I’m not interested in playing this game of “defend the pedo”, but this site has way more background on the case: https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-smelko-2 https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-smelko-2 But I was actually incorrect, child faces on adult bodies is still unlawful, the linked article goes into more detail and prior casework on the matter.