Woman sexually abused by father seeks restitution from the men who possessed the child porn videos (Fresno, California)

UNNAMED DAD is just about too horrendous to describe. He's been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. Meanwhile, what can be done to the men who acquired the child porn photos and videos that Dad made? The daughter is now seeking restitution. Note that these child porn posssessors are not exactly homeless derelicts: a director of a high school marching band, a public school music teacher, a community college professor. And how interesting that their professions bring them into contact with lots of young people....

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1564178.html

Judge considers amount of restitution in porn case
Published online on Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009
By John Ellis / The Fresno Bee

Four Valley men convicted on child pornography charges will likely pay restitution to one of the young girls found among the photos and videos in their collection.

"The statute is clear," U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii said during a lengthy Tuesday hearing in his Fresno courtroom. "Restitution is mandatory."

The question is: how much?

Ishii will ponder that matter, then issue a written ruling within a few weeks.

At issue is a nearly $300,000 restitution claim by a 19-year-old Washington state woman, who was 10 and 11 when her father fondled her and later had oral and anal sex with her. He recorded the incidents and then sent pictures and videos via the Internet, where they spread among child pornography traders.

The girl is seeking money from men convicted of child pornography who possessed her video.
Last month, the girl and her mother came to Fresno, where they read statements in three different courtrooms in cases involving six different men.

Four of those men -- Raymond Ferenci, 52, the longtime director of Tulare Western High School's marching band; Terry Zane, 58, a former Fresno Unified School District music teacher; Paul Edward Monk, 38, a former Kern County community college professor; and Christopher Renga, 50, of Visalia -- were the subject of Tuesday's hearing.

In addition to the Washington woman, a second girl has filed a restitution claim against Zane and Monk, whose collection included videos of her. Known as Amy, her claim is for more than $3 million.

Though there wasn't unanimity among the four defense attorneys that restitution was even warranted, most of the arguments surrounded how to determine what each man should pay.
And -- in the case of the 19-year-old woman -- several of the attorneys said it was her father who is to blame. Sal Sciandra, who is representing Ferenci, said "99 and nine-tenths of the damages caused to this unfortunate victim were ... by the father."

The father has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison.

Prosecutor David Gappa said the woman "is a victim" who will suffer for the rest of her life because the videos of her will circulate on the Internet long after her father is dead.

The issues Ishii will decide are pushing into a new area of the law. Though victims in child pornography pictures and videos have legally been able to seek restitution for more than a decade, the law has only been put into practice this year.