Director Of Kids' Art Nonprofit Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

Anthony Josef Norris, director of a San Francisco art education nonprofit group, has been charged with possession of child pornography. The City subsequently suspended its funding of the group, Kid Serve Youth Murals, which received $53,506 of city funding this year, according to the SF Examiner.

Norris, 46, who founded Kid Serve over a decade ago, was tracked by FBI, which traced suspicious online activity to his house and found 600 pornographic images. The Examiner quotes Maria Su, director of the Department of Children, Youth and Families, who said: “We believe that this is his first offense because there are no indications that he has a prior record or history of harm to children.”

However, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Norris admitted to having downloaded the offending images over the past decade.

Kid Serve, which supervises the creation of murals by students in the Bay Area, gives the following mission statement on its web site (currently down): "Kid Serve links public art to public school curriculum. Students create public art in their communities that integrates social values, creativity and community service."

An investigation is underway to determine if any of the children who participated in Kid Serve were harmed. On its own, however, Norris' charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.