Eric Lipman, former general counsel for the Florida Elections Commission, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison on child pornography charges.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker imposed the sentence during a Friday hearing at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee. Lipman must register as a sex offender and serve nine years of supervised release after his stay in prison.
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Lipman, 60, was arrested April 7, 2021 — nearly a year to the day of his sentencing — after the Leon County Sheriff’s Office got a tip about his computer activity from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
During a subsequent search of his home, local, state and federal law enforcement officers discovered 19 files of child sexual abuse material. They also found internet searches on his work laptop involving child sexual abuse, pedophiles and children between the ages of 3 and 5, according to arrest records.
“Those who seek to view and share child pornography facilitate the abuse of children by those who produce and profit from this illegal content,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Coody in a news release. “With the assistance of our law enforcement partners, we will ensure that those who engage in such heinous conduct will be held accountable for their actions.”
Lipman entered into plea agreement
Lipman entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last month. In exchange for pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute, receive and possess child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography, two other counts were dropped.
Lipman began working for the Elections Commission in 2001 as an assistant general counsel, rising to chief legal counsel nine years later. He was fired shortly after his arrest. Before that, he worked as a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families in Leon, Wakulla and Franklin counties.
His lawyer, Richard H. Smith of Tallahassee, wrote in a sentencing memo that Lipman “lived an exemplary life” that was blemished by illegal conduct that occurred over a three-hour period on Feb. 11, 2021.
“Three hours of Mr. Lipman’s 60 years have brought him to this point in his life,” wrote Smith, who asked for the lowest possible sentence.
But John Condon, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, called Lipman a child predator who conspired with others to sexually exploit young children.
“Because of the investigative work of HSI and our law enforcement partners at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, he will no longer be able to harm our most vulnerable,” Condon said in the news release.
Sheriff Walt McNeil said he applauded the collaborative effort by agencies involved in the investigation: “We must continue to do our due diligence in protecting our most vulnerable and precious members of our community.”
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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