Alabama sex crimes defense lawyers weren't expecting this one.  A former Alabama assistant district attorney who made much of his career prosecuting sex crimes against minors, is now accused of enticement himself.  It's not the first time that someone on the right side of the law has been found with his hand in the cookie jar, but it’s still surreal nevertheless. 

According to the Alabama Attorney General's Office, former assistant district attorney Stephen Giardini has been indicted on charges of enticement and solicitation of a minor over the computer with the intent to produce child photography.  Giardini allegedly engaged in communication with what he believed was a 15-year-old girl, but was in reality, an FBI Internet Crimes against Children agent.  The Attorney General's Family Protection Unit presented evidence of Giardini’s crime to a jury in Mobile, Alabama, and he has now been indicted.

Giardini is now charged with acting with intent to entice a child under the age of 16 for intercourse, sodomy or sexual purposes, acting with the intent to criminally solicit the production of child photography and acting with the intent to entice a child for sexual purposes by means of computer, telephone, personal digital assistant or other electronic means of communication.  These are felony charges, and the irony of a former prosecutor, who established a career based on targeting sex offenders, being indicted on these charges is bizarre.  If convicted, Giardini could face a sentence of between 1 to 20 years. 

Giardini resigned from his position in April 2009 after a search of his home in Mobile.  It was a sealed warrant, and so, there is no information about what the search entailed.  His lawyer denies that his client was trying to produce child pornography. Giardini is currently out on a $250,000 bond.