Summary: An alarming amount of child pornography was found in the law office of an Elmhurst attorney.
Investigators were tipped off by an employee of a suburban law firm that child pornography had been found in the office. Prosecutors state that a “nauseating” amount of child pornography images were found at the law office of Ralph Tellefsen III, 62.
Tellefsen was arrested and charged with a class 2 felony with seven counts of possession of child pornography. DuPage County State Attorney Robert Berlin explained that the employee found the child pornography on a printer at the office of Tellefsen & Associates on August 27, 2017. They immediately called the police. Officers arrived at the Elmhurst office and found a banker’s box filled with thousands of images of child pornography. Tellefsen shares the office space with a real estate company.
Berlin said, “The sheer number of child pornography images allegedly possessed by Mr. Tellefsen is nauseating. Each one of these disgusting photographs represents yet another innocent victim of child pornography. The filing of today’s charges against Mr. Tellefsen sends the message that my office will move swiftly and vigorously to prosecute any allegations of child pornography.”
Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth believes the images were downloaded and copied from the internet.
Tellefsen was at the office when police arrived, placing him under arrest. He was taken into custody and released on $75,000 bond. His next court appearance will be September 18 before Judge John Kinsella. He was also ordered to have no contact with children under the age of 18 and is prohibited from using a computer or Internet access.
His law firm website states he is a general practice attorney with over 25 years of experience in real estate, corporate law, and probate estate planning. “Client satisfaction” is their primary focus where all clients are viewed as individual people, not as case files. The law firm claims to offer “a caring and friendly environment and working to get to know our clients to assist them in resolving all aspects of the issue they currently face.”
The law firm overview in their website states that “Currently Ralph F. Tellefsen, III, holds a license to practice law in the State of Illinois and has previously held licenses in North Carolina and Florida. As an experienced attorney practicing since 1979, Ralph F. Tellefsen, III, has taken cases to the Federal District Court of Illinois, the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.” This is likely to change as the charges against Tellefsen progress.
Do you think child pornography is an addiction just like any other addiction and should be treated as such? Or do you feel that those caught up in child pornography should be treated as the criminals they are with no compassion? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about lawyers tangled up in child pornography, read these articles:
- Former Paul Hastings Lawyer Convicted of Child Pornography
- Lawyer Loses Law License After Child Porn Guilty Plea
- Baton Rouge Lawyer Caught with Bestiality Child Porn
Photo: theindependentnewspapers.com