Man receives support from CBLDF in manga possession case

In Iowa, a 32-year-old man may spend 20 years in prison for possession of Japanese manga and will face penalties under the PROTECT Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1466A). Christopher Handley is still in big trouble because of the manga he purchased from Japan in May 2006 that the government claimed was obscene and depicted minors engaged in sexual acts.

Luckily for Handley, he no longer has to face the court system alone as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has decided to provide their expertise as a consultant to the defense and provide funds for use to support in obtaining expert witnesses.

Charles Brownstien of CBLDF told ICv2 that he finds the case “troubling” because Handley is being prosecuted as “a private collector for the possession of art” and although CBLDF has defended the first amendment rights for retailers and artists, this would be their first experience dealing with the federal government according to Brownstien who finds the Handley case especially troubling because “the government is prosecuting a private collector for the possession of art. Never before have we experienced the federal government attempting to strip a citizen of his freedom because he owned comic books.”

According to CBDLF’s site, Handley’s situation began in May 2006 after a postal inspector at his local post office in Glenwood, Iowa, intercepted a package addressed to Handley from Japan and searched its contents. After deciding the content of the books depicted minors engaged in sexual acts, the inspector applied for a search warrant. The post office allowed Handley to pick up the package and law enforcement officers pulled his vehicle over and eventually followed him home.

At Handley’s residence, the police then seized his collection of manga, DVDs, VHS tapes, laser disks, computers and various documents. In a follow-up article, Handley’s case took a small victory but the case is far from over. In an updated report by Anime News Network, some of Handley’s charges were dropped July 2, 2008.

Kind of makes you wonder the next time you order a movie from a foreign site or receive a gift from a friend or relative living overseas and it looks like somebody already went through it.

Read [ICv2.com] Also Read [CBLDF press release] Site [CBLDF official site] Also Read [Anime News Network] PDF [Iowa Southern District Court docket]