Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges of Transportation and Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—A 37-year-old man from Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty today to transportation and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Debra Evans Smith, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer scheduled sentencing for February 15, 2013. The man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment for the transportation charge and up to 10 years for the possession offense.

According to the government’s evidence, in August 2010, an underage girl reported to the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department that the defendant had been sexually abusing her for three years in Maryland and in another state. The girl also told authorities that, using his cell phone, the defendant videotaped the abuse. Further investigation revealed that the defendant transported the videotaped images of the sexual contact with the girl.

A subsequent search warrant of the defendant’s residence revealed that he possessed numerous still images and videos in several electronic devices including cameras, cellular phones and computers. Those images depict him engaging in sexual contact with the girl.

This case was initiated by the Montgomery County Police Department and referred to the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. Project Safe Childhood is 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 U.S. 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 those who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Assistant Director in Charge Smith, and Chief Lanier praised the MPD Detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended Montgomery County Police Department Sgt. Errol Birch and Detective Kristie Taylor for their work on the investigation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Julieanne Himelstein, who is prosecuting the case.