Media Release -- On February 11, 2010, Christopher Handley was sentenced in Iowa for possession of Manga books and magazines. The prosecution, which began in 2006, was based on the notion that the cartoon images were obscene. My name is Eric Chase and I am Chris Handley's attorney. I have been reading some of the comments about Chris' case and have noted some considerable confusion about the process that Chris went through as well as the state of obscenity law in the United States. In the hope that it will help others avoid Chris' situation and aid the understanding of those outraged by the outcome, I feel it appropriate to now explain the case from our perspective.

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Media Release -- Christopher Handley, the collector of manga who pleaded guilty to possession of obscene visual representations of minors engaged in sexual conduct, was sentenced to six months in federal prison last week. The CBLDF was brought in at the middle of the case to provide expert witnesses for the defense, which were unfortunately not called upon, as Handley entered a guilty plea under the advice of his counsel before the case saw trial. The CBLDF has previously expressed disappointment with that development.

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Media Release -- According to a press release issued by the Department of Justice, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has learned that Christopher Handley, the Iowa manga collector, has pleaded guilty "to possessing obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children and mailing obscene material." CBLDF had served as a special consultant to Mr. Handley's defense. The government's press release states, "Handley faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a three-year term of supervised release." Additionally, he forfeits all property seized in his prosecution.

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