U-M Porn Case Reviews Could Exceed $500K
ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - Investigations related to a six-month delay in reporting to police the discovery of suspected child pornography on a computer flash drive in a University of Michigan hospital lounge could exceed $500,000 in costs.
The estimate for an ongoing external investigation and a separate review of hospital security procedures was made in documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by AnnArbor.com, which published details on Thursday.
The school is paying international law firm Latham & Watkins a maximum of $395,000 to complete the review.
According to the obtained documents, Chicago-based trial lawyer Zachary Fardon is being billed at $725 per hour to lead the review. Other firm associates are being billed at between $595 and $540 an hour, according to a contract, and an unnamed partner is also being billed at $725 an hour. Firm paralegals are being billed at between $180 and $280 an hour.
Other costs associated with the review will be paid to Margolis Healy & Associates, which is conducting a separate assessment of hospital security, and to Fred White Jr., who serves as liaison between U-M and the outside firms.
The U-M Board of Regents ordered an external investigation in February.
Reviewers are trying to determine the circumstances leading to the reporting lapse that allowed 37-year-old Stephen Jenson to work with children for an additional six months after a medical resident discovered a thumb drive with documents containing his name and child pornography in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
An internal investigation into the delay determined a hospital attorney was aware of the discovery in May — but decided after a month that there wasn't enough evidence to tell police.
Security at the university-affiliated hospital didn't report the case to university police until Nov. 21. After police were notified, they searched Jenson's home and removed his computer. He was arrested days later and charged by Washtenaw County prosecutors with four counts of possessing child sexually abusive material.
Then, in early February, the federal government charged Jenson with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Police say they found 97 images and four videos of suspected child porn on Jenson's electronic devices. Investigators believe the alleged illegal conduct occurred between Jan. 2011 and Dec. 2, 2011.
If convicted in the federal case, Jenson faces a minimum of five years in prison.
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