Ashcroft ready to prosecute porn purveyors

WASHINGTON — May is “Pornography Victims Awareness Month.” The designation, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said, “is dedicated to recognizing the victims of pornography. Pornography and adult obscenity are more than demeaning pictures in magazines and on the Internet — they are steps down a path to the degradation and, too often, the real abuse of predominantly women and children.”

Ashcroft noted that the Department of Justice “is dedicated to prosecuting those who illegally distribute adult obscenity materials and child pornography. These prosecutions are a priority for this department and [its] Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.” Additionally, Ashcroft noted, “… the 94 United States Attorneys across this country stand committed to enforce the federal statutes in this area.”