>> yes. i don't think i'm guilty of anything that harmed anybody. that's for sure. this law isn't about really harming people. i mean, the dude's a married man. he's out having unprotected sex with complete strangers online. if he hasn't encountered something before, he's very lucky. >> merithew could face up to 15 years in prison. and this isn't his first offense. two years earlier he was convicted of the same crime with a different man but only had to pay a fine. >> that guy, i don't know what his deal was, but he was hard of hearing, and we were drinking the night when we met. so i made sure he was aware the next morning. >> ironically, merithew says he contracted the virus from a man who did not disclose his own hiv positive status. >> do you feel like the person that gave you hiv, that they should have told you? >> i take 100% accountability for me being infected. i knew about aids since, like, eighth grade. and so i knew i was having unprotected sex even though i was high at the time.