My name is Chris Pelloski. I am a former cancer doctor and researcher who pleaded guilty to accession with an intent to view child pornography in the Federal Southern Ohio District in 2014. From my perspective, I had a moral obligation to tell my story, in full detail and brutal honesty, once I personally experienced the extent of public misunderstanding and misinformation surrounding my offense and sex offenses in general.
The first book, “Trauma, Shame, and the Power of Love: The Fall and Rise of a Physician who Heals Himself,” opens with the police raid on my home, details the pretrial phase of my case (house arrest, the legal machinations of my charge, and concurrent therapy I underwent for my childhood sexual abuse and PTSD diagnosis), and closes at my sentencing. This book has won several literary awards. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1500755532
My second recently published book, “A Tortuous Path: Atonement and Reinvention in a Broken System,” relates the experiences of sex offenders in federal prison, the difficulties encountered during reentry into society and life on the Sex Offender Registry. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1726303314
The books have been read by law enforcement, mental health professionals, my fellow inmates and registrants, federal probation officials and members of the general public with near-universal praise. Books that can gain that type of acceptance form “both sides” of an issue can be a powerful one. The main theme in the feedback I have received is that these books can truly inform and educate the public, while weaving into them an engaging personal story; putting a human face the problem. I put “the System” and myself under intense scrutiny and hold all accountable, while offering solutions to make things better. If Information, education, and understanding of the masses are the first steps towards achieving reform and change, then I believe these books have a role to play in those goals.
I tried to publish these books through the traditional route. But given the subject matter and the stigma attached to the author, no literary agent or publishing company picked them up. Publishing companies exist to make money. That is not the purpose of my books. It is to educate and provoke thought and discussion. At a great personal cost of time, energy, money and resources, I have self-published these books because I believe in their importance; because, as you know, without serious change things are only going to get worse.
I also believe that NARSOL is the best positioned organization there is in helping spread the message and promoting awareness of these books. So, I thank NARSOL for providing this platform and being a voice for all of us.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Christopher E. Pelloski, MD
Kathleen B.T. Yes. Linda made an excellent point.
The government/law enforcement does just provide cp like you said. Lets not forgot those cases where law enforcement baits and entraps men online with fake accounts. They are charged the exact same way as if there were an actual minor involved. The name of the charge(s) stay the same and so does the punishment attached to it.
Sadly in a lot of those cp cases out there, law enforcement have actually allowed men to accumlate more images and videos, adding further charges and the punishment that comes with them, when they could have caught them much, much earlier in time.
*What happened to my other reply?
Linda I whole heartedly agree . The government put these sites up for stings . Should they be held accountable . Someone needed to look at these images to get them on the website . Isn’t this entrapment ? It is crazy and our government is broken , Not to mention I thought america was the land of second chances !
For those who dont know and for those convicted of having child pornography on there computer.Well the tragic ordeal Jessica Lunsford went through is horrific but what most dont know is: BROOKSVILLE – Police investigating the disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford found a “limited amount” of child pornography on her father’s computer, prosecutors said Monday.
Mark Lunsford won’t face prosecution for possessing the child pornography, said Peter Magrino, one of the prosecutors of Jessica’s confessed killer, John Evander Couey.
“There’s no evidence to show that he was manufacturing or producing child pornography,” Magrino said. “There was a limited amount of that on the computer.”
Magrino added there was no indication that any member of Jessica’s family had ever abused her in any way.
The revelation came as the State Attorney’s Office released more than 800 pages of documents in the Couey case.
Mark Lunsford said Monday that he never intentionally visited any child pornography Web sites, and the images that turned up on his computer were automatic “pop-ups” that can appear without the consent of the person using the computer.
“I don’t go to child pornography sites,” he said.
Thank you Chris for telling your story! It’s very important.
I agree with Linda, the ones watching are not monsters! The extremely long sentences and harm that the registry does to the “viewer” and his family are too extreme! If you did not produce a video jail time should not exceed six months! Not to mention, jail/prison time is a waste of tax dollars. Things need to change ASAP!
And since the government is the one providing most of the online child pronography in and during their entrapment sessions, they should be held accountable.
Sighs. You are correct. You wrote some good words but those around you would scream, and pick up stones to throw at you. Some will never get it. Nor do they want to.
Most Americans think/act out of fear and ignorance towards men who committed sexual crimes. Especially those that committed anything having to do with minors. Sadly enough anything having to do with 16-17 year old would still fall under the same labels. Say a man had images of a 17 year old girl. The media would paint him off as a creeper, “pervert” etc while the charge still has the word child in it. See, how it goes? The witch hunt is very intricate and sophisticated. Notice how such a system does not exist in certain places where such crimes are almost non-existent. Like say, the Amazonian jungle with the natives. No technology and porn/adult entertainment industry either.
Most Americans think that only men commit crimes of that nature and that if a man has an attraction to minors and hasn’t acted, then he certainly will. The image that comes to mind from children, teens, and adults of any age about men with the such an attraction, whether or not they have acted on their feelings is some much older, unattractive white man lurking in the shadows. Behind a bush with with candy in his hand. Or hidding behind some van. They also believe that most men in general are “perverts”(whether in regards to teen girls or to women or both) with sex on their minds despite both teens and women watching porn and being the same sort of way. By the way the porn/adult entertainment industry has a major role in the development of such a sexuality and has influenced many sexual crimes out there. Hence the porn/adult entertainment industry has indirectly caused a number of Americans to think the way that they do about men who committed sex crimes towards minors.
Even the therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists have the same mentality and some of them will commit perjury and conspire against men who have crimimal cases under oath or on paper to add further damage. Which happened to me as death was lurking at my door.
When you come to think of it, they are blinded by fear and ignorance. What does a bunch of stuff on a device do to society? How would such a person be worse than a man that victimizes women, a murderer, a serial killer, and a mass shooter? How does that make any sense? Imagine a man having two pics for several years then gets caugt one day. In each pic there is a girl that’s just posing on a bed. Or lets say a man with a hidden camera, had recorded two teens having “adult,” relationships they don’t have the mind nor body to consent to. What would hapoen to him? What would the people want in regards to him? They do overstretch things. If anything the viewer has a terrible condition and need some help.
By the way, a woman was recently arrested for being topless in front of her children in her own home on a hot day. She faces registration for 10 years. Why? Because “poor minors” saw something that’s not even actually sexual in the 1st place. Three “serious” counts of lewdness. She made a point about her husband being able to walk around the house topless and is making a case against the sexist law prohibiting toplessness from women. A law that exists mostly because the country in it’s oversexualiztion, had sexualized the female breasts.
Kathleen B.T.
Sighs. You are correct. Kathleen did make a good point. Quick question: Does clickling “reply” under a person’s response tag the person?
Most Americans think/act out of fear and ignorance towards men who committed sexual crimes. Especially those that committed anything having to do with minors. Sadly enough anything having to do with 16-17 year old would still fall under the same labels. Say a man had images of a 17 year old girl. The media would paint him off as a creeper, “pervert” etc while the charge still has the word child in it. See, how it goes? The witch hunt is very intricate and sophisticated. Why would that even fall under the same name? But whatever. Notice how such a system does not exist in certain places where such crimes are almost non-existent. Like say, the Amazonian jungle with the natives. No technology and porn/adult entertainment industry either.
Most Americans think that only men commit crimes of that nature and that if a man has an attraction to minors and hasn’t acted, then he certainly will. The image that comes to mind from children, teens, and adults of any age about men with the such an attraction, whether or not they have acted on their feelings is some much older, unattractive white man lurking in the shadows. Behind a bush with with candy in his hand. Or hidding behind some van. They also believe that most men in general are “perverts”(whether in regards to teen girls or to women or both) with sex on their minds despite both teens and women watching porn and being the same sort of way. By the way the porn/adult entertainment industry has a major role in the development of such a sexuality and has influenced many sexual crimes out there. Hence the porn/adult entertainment industry has indirectly caused a number of Americans to think the way that they do about men who committed sex crimes towards minors.
Even the therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists have the same mentality and some of them will commit perjury and conspire against men who have crimimal cases under oath or on paper to add further damage. Which happened to me as death was lurking at my door.
By the way, a woman was recently arrested for being topless in front of her children in her own home. She gotta register too. She made a point about how her husband could to walk around the house topless and is making a case against the sexist female toplessness laws.
Thank you !
All people involved or not need to know the truth behind the actions . Most people charged , especially for viewing are Not monsters ! The people who supply the porn is who should be charge severely ! They are the ones committing a crime and hurting others !
Please don’t minimize CP. Viewers are commiting a crime too. Without demand there is no supply.
What about the monsters that put the pictures up ? A lot of times they are embedded in the website without the viewers knowledge ! Porn has been around for centuries .! I dont understand what men get out of it because I’m a woman , yet downloading legal porn will at times bring images that are embedded in the website with NO knowledge of the viewer. UNTIL they get the pictures and see there is child porn . Now its to late ! The government looks at pictures andor creates images and decides what to put on the web ! Aren’t they viewing and distributing/producing ? You can’t say they are mentally stable ? I don’t ,anyone interested in doing this for the benefit of entrapping others for punishment is vindictive and getting self gratification from it . Tell me they are professional , not accepting that ! Many law enforcement and other high ups have been charged with doing many illegal acts . Justify the action ! Take it out on the little guy . Yes there are people out there who are in need of serious help . Get them the help or whatever is needed ! Stop targeting the guy who wasn’t trying to look . Take the images off the web , not add more ! If they can follow you IP address than they can follow the ones who put them up ! . I know other countries providers delete activity as soon as you done with whatever , yet not in the U.S. Isn’t following me and what I ‘m doing and invasion of my privacy rights . Same with the cell phones . They know your every move . All just a big money maker in my eyes at the expense of the poor person who doesn’t know what is happening ! I also don’t care what people snub me . I will have my opinion and as an American that is my right . I have very little patience for ignorance !