OCONTO COUNTY (NBC 26) — A federal judge has granted a new trial for former Oconto Falls doctor Isaias Cupino after overturning convictions a jury returned in April on five child pornography charges.
Cupino was convicted of three counts of production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. He was acquitted on three other counts.
In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Judge William Griesbach found that certain evidence presented to jurors should not have been admitted at trial.
The disputed evidence included videos showing Cupino's son interacting with a life-sized sex doll and videos showing mouth-to-mouth interactions between Cupino and his son.
Griesbach wrote that while the videos could raise questions about Cupino's fitness as a parent, they were not relevant to determining whether the images and videos at the center of the criminal charges met the legal definition of child pornography.
The judge concluded the evidence was highly prejudicial and said he was concerned Cupino may have been denied a fair trial.
As a result, Griesbach granted Cupino's request for a new trial and ordered the case back to court for further proceedings.
