JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tommy Hazouri Jr., a former elementary school teacher and the son of the president of Jacksonville’s City Council, who’s charged with having hundreds of images of child pornography and distributing them online, told a federal judge Friday he is under a doctor’s care for depression and borderline personality disorder.
Wearing a red jumpsuit, which identifies him as a high-risk inmate, Hazouri, 40, told the judge he takes daily medication for those disorders.
When asked, Hazouri couldn’t remember if he is being treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist. Only psychiatrists, who are licensed as physicians, can prescribe medication in Florida.
Criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Curtis Fallgatter, who is not affiliated with this case, told News4Jax the newly revealed information on Hazouri’s mental health history will not impact his bond because he has already been detained in federal court. However, Fallgatter said a person’s mental state could result in a lesser sentence if convicted.
“If you have a diminished mental capacity, the judge can take that into account and decide that you should get a bit more lenient sentence than what otherwise might be called for in the federal sentencing guidelines,” Fallgatter said.
Hazouri, who was listed on the Mayport Coastal Sciences Elementary School’s website as a second-grade teacher, was first arrested at his parents' home in August on 25 counts of child porn.
He was again arrested last Friday by a federal agent. Right now, he’s not facing additional charges, but the charges are now more serious since the case has shifted to federal court.
“The way the federal sentencing guidelines apply is the judge will look at the number of images, the number of videos, and look at the type of them,” Fallgatter said. “And of course, some of them are uglier so to speak than others. And that will all be factored into the degree of and the amount of years that he will be exposed to when it comes time for sentencing.”
Court documents show hundreds of photos of naked children with adults were found on Hazouri’s personal laptop.
Since his medication and diagnoses were discussed at length Friday, News4Jax explored Hazouri’s mental health history.
In a previous case against him in Escambia County, an ex-girlfriend told police Hazouri has threatened to hurt himself. Responding officers wrote in their report: “She stated that she was concerned for Hazouri’s well being that he has in the past threatened to harm himself.”
The charges were dropped in that case,
Hazouri is scheduled to be back in court next week.