ELIZABETH, N.J. (KRON) – An NFL linebacker facing charges over “revenge porn” is scheduled to appear in a New Jersey courtroom Wednesday morning for a plea conference.
Jermaine Cunningham was a free agent who was with the New York Jets last year.
He has been charged with criminal mischief, invasion of privacy and unlawful weapons transport. In January, the 26-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer says he expects Cunningham to be exonerated on all charges.
Authorities say the charges stem from a domestic violence incident at a Summit residence on Dec. 29, where a loaded handgun was found in Cunningham’s car, according to a spokesperson for the prosecutors office.
The case against Cunningham comes amid a national push to punish jilted lovers and others who distribute racy photos.
The decade-old New Jersey law being used to prosecute Cunningham was the first of its kind in the country. Since then 16 more states, including California have passed similar laws, including 14 in the past two years. At least 10 additional legislatures are considering revenge porn laws.
Federal legislation is also expected to be introduced this year, even as some detractors of the laws warn that advocates are overreaching into territory that could be protected as First Amendment expression.
The movement to criminalize an action that can lead to lost jobs and ruined lives gained steam as ubiquitous cellphone cameras and online social networks eased the way for sharing anything from the mundane to the most personal.
Locally, South Bay teen Audrie Pott killed herself after hearing that pictures of herself being sexually assaulted circulated at her school, Saratoga High School. The three teens involved served 30 and 45 day sentences after confessing to attacking Pott. In a civil wrongful death lawsuit, two of the teens involved were ordered to pay pay $950,000, which will be paid by the insurance companies.