LAS VEGAS (AP) – An attorney for an illusionist who was once a headliner on the Las Vegas Strip complained Monday that a prosecutor misstated facts when she told a judge that the defendant knew child pornography had been downloaded to computers at his home.
Jan Rouven Fuechtener’s lawyers maintain that he’s not responsible for thousands of videos and images the government says he collected, including some recordings depicting sex acts with kindergarten-age children.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro let prosecutor Elham Roohani proceed with her opening statement in a trial that has the 39-year-old Fuechtener possibly facing up to 90 years in prison and $1 million in fines on federal child pornography charges.
Testimony is expected to take several days.
Fuechtener has chosen to have the case heard by the judge in Las Vegas, not a jury. His defense attorneys – Jess Marchese, Ben Durham and Michael Sanft – postponed their opening statement until the government finishes presenting its case.