Baltimore County Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson sentenced Gary Lee Walden, age 53, of Essex, Maryland, today to 70 months in prison, followed by supervised release for life, for possessing child pornography. Judge Nickerson ordered that Walden register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to Walden’s plea agreement, on August 26, 2009, detectives interviewed Walden after receiving a complaint that he was photographing children at a local pool. Walden gave consent for the detectives to examine his computer. While previewing Walden’s computer at his residence, detectives found several images of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which Walden had downloaded to his computer.

Walden had previously been convicted in 2006 in Baltimore County for possession of child pornography and was sentenced to one year in prison, which was suspended, and three years of probation with a requirement to register as a sex offender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at www.justice.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas, who prosecuted the case.