The First Circuit affirmed Defendant’s conviction for production of child pornography, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion to suppress a video on his cellphone under the private search doctrine. When Defendant’s wife was looking through pictures on Defendant’s cellphone, she discovered a video of the couple’s daughter masturbating Defendant. The wife brought the cellphone to law enforcement authorities and directed their attention to the video. Defendant was subsequently indicted on a charge of production of child pornography. Defendant moved to suppress the video and his ensuing confession, arguing that the officers violated the Fourth Amendment by accessing the video without a warrant and prior to obtaining his consent. The district court denied the motion to suppress. Defendant was subsequently convicted and sentenced to a 360-month term of immurement. The First Circuit affirmed, holding under the circumstances, the officers initially could not be said to have conducted a “search” of Defendant’s cellphone, and two reexaminations of the video fell within the protections of the private search doctrine (also called the Jacobsen Rule).
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