In retrospect, I doubt jail time was ever really on the cards. Simply due to the fact it was a misdemeanor charge, and as far as I can tell unless you are a repeat offender they usually stick to the lower end of what the charges are. In a shock turnaround, Ralph was right that jailtime was highly unlikely.
My 2 cents: I think the problem with the case was not whether Ralph released the porn, that was a slam dunk, it was the intent behind releasing it. The intent to embarrass notorious paedophile
@Ahalfwaycrook does not count in VA.
The recording was therefore key to establish this intent was also directed towards Faith, but then the two party consent issue muddied the waters. It became a toss up based on whether it would be accepted, and whether him saying that was his intent post-hoc would count.
Personally, I think the VA statute should be revised to have exemptions for releasing it, rather than requiring intent to be established.