United States v. Godfrey, 6:24-cr-00273

Kendall Devon Godfrey entered into a plea agreement to plead guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B) and (b)(2).
The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent CyberTip reports to law enforcement, indicating that Godfrey had interacted with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on two Dropbox accounts.
The Dropbox accounts were linked to email addresses and an IP address associated with Godfrey, with files containing at least 200 images and five videos of CSAM, including images of prepubescent minors and previously identified CSAM victims.
Godfrey initially denied, then admitted to ownership of the Dropbox accounts and associated emails, but claimed only juvenile use and denied possession of CSAM as an adult; forensic evidence contradicted this.
The plea agreement includes mandatory restitution, forfeiture of certain assets (including an iPhone), a requirement to register as a sex offender, and waiver of certain rights, including most direct appeals.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Knowing possession of child pornography	Godfrey knowingly possessed CSAM on Dropbox, linked via email, IP, and device records	Initially denied knowledge or possession, claimed juvenile use, denied adult possession	Held: Godfrey admitted knowing possession per plea agreement
Interstate/foreign commerce by computer	The CSAM was transported via internet/Dropbox, implicating interstate/foreign commerce element	No viable defense offered after admission in plea	Held: Factual basis established element; plea accepted
Forfeiture of assets linked to offense	Assets used or acquired in CSAM offense are subject to forfeiture	Agrees to forfeiture, waives rights to challenge	Held: Defendant consents to forfeiture as part of plea
Waiver of appeal rights/sentencing guidelines	Plea waives right to appeal except very limited circumstances	Agrees to waiver and guidelines sentencing recommendation	Held: Waiver is valid and plea accepted

Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (maximum penalty may be increased based on admitted facts under a guilty plea)