The son of an FDA chemist, who was charged earlier this year as part of an insider trading plot that his father orchestrated, has now been charged with possessing child pornography that was found as the feds pursued their investigation.
Cheng Yi Liang, 57, and his son, Andrew, 26, allegedly exploited confidential info about upcoming announcements of 27 different FDA approval decisions involving 19 publicly traded companies and generated more than $3.6 million in illegal profits.
During the course of the investigation, however, the feds came across child pornography material that was seized during searches of his Gaithersurg, Maryland, home last March and April, according to court documents. He has been asked to forfeit his MacBook laptop (read the document here).
The younger Liang, who was charged with one count of child pornography, faces 10 years in prison; a $250,000 fine; supervisory release up to life, and would have to register as a sex offender, if convicted, according to a spokeswoman for the US Attorney in Maryland.
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Whether the charge sticks depends on laws in Maryland concerning inevitable discovery. If they didn't have a warrent to look for child pornography on the younger man's computer, how inevitable would its discovery have been in the course of a computer search concerning insider trading?
Any lawyers wish to chime in?