The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico has dismissed the child pornography possession charge against Albuquerque defense attorney Brian Pori. The charge, stemming from an investigation that began in March, alleged that Pori knowingly possessed illicit images on his laptop. The case was dropped on September 1 after a forensic reevaluation of the digital evidence raised significant doubts about the initial findings.

Prosecutors did not provide a detailed explanation for the reversal, merely citing that the dismissal was “in the interests of justice” in a brief filing. Pori’s attorney, Nicholas Hart, criticized the original charge as a “rush to judgment” unsupported by the evidence and called the initial accusation a profound error that inflicted reputational harm on Pori.

Despite the dismissal of the child pornography count, Pori remains in federal custody and faces separate felony allegations of attempting to smuggle Suboxone, a narcotic prescribed for opioid dependence, into a prison near Grants, New Mexico. Prosecutors contend that Pori tried to send the drug to an inmate at that facility months before his arrest. Pori denies these allegations.

Had Pori been convicted on the child pornography charge, he faced a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The decision to drop this charge comes as a significant development in a case that had drawn attention due to the serious nature of the accusations and Pori’s status as a prominent defense attorney.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not commented further on the matter, and no new timeline has been provided regarding the remaining charges against Pori. The case underscores the complexities of digital evidence in federal prosecutions and highlights the importance of thorough forensic analysis in sensitive investigations.