Red Rose Stories

Medium: Website, Literature

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Artist: Karen Fletcher

Confronting Bodies: United State Government (specifically the FBI and Attorney General's office)

Dates of Action: 2005 to 2008

Location: Donora, Pennsylvania, USA

Description of Artwork: Karen Fletcher operated an internet website called "Red Rose Stories" that features fictive stories that describe children being kidnapped, sexually molested, tortured and murdered. The stories on the site could be downloaded by purchasing a $10 monthly subscription. Fletcher calls her web-page a "fantasy site".

The Incident: In 2005 the FBI and US Attorney Generals office began investigating Fletcher's website. Concerned about the content of the site, government officials began filing charges against Fletcher and moving to have the site shut down. In September 2006, Fletcher was indicted on six counts of transportation of obscene matters over the internet.

Results of Incident: Fletcher fought the allegations for more than a year and a half with a team of First Amendment lawyers but she eventually decided to plea guilty. It was said this was due to her agoraphobia and fear of possibly losing and being sentenced to prison. On August 7, 2008 Fletcher was sentenced with obscenity charges. She will serve five years probation, the first six months of which she will be forced to remain inside her home with few exceptions.

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08221/902713-52.stm#ixzz1bL7ZI1HN, http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/08/08/obscenity-plea-deal-leads-to-home-confinement-for-pa-woman/ and http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/Press%20Releases/WDPA_FLETCHER-GUILTY_08-07-08.pdf