Baltimore Man Convicted of Sexually Abusing a Minor to Produce Child Pornography

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis convicted Jesse Aaron Davison, age 27, of Baltimore, today after a five-day bench trial of conspiring to produce and producing child pornography, possession of child pornography, and obstruction of justice. The conviction 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; Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein.

According to evidence presented at the five day trial, sometime in 2009, Davison’s co-defendant, Tiffany Bolner, became friends with a child who lived in her neighborhood. After November 2009, Davison and Bolner met and became romantically involved. Bolner began taking the child with her to visit Davison and spend the night at Davison’s home. By February 2010, Davison and Bolner lived together and the child spent weekends at their home. Testimony showed that some time between January and May 2010, Davison and Bolner sexually abused the child and videotaped and photographed the abuse. Davison told the child to keep the sexual conduct a secret. Additional evidence showed that from at least February 2010 to June 17, 2010, Davison also possessed images of child pornography.

Davison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Judge Garbis has scheduled sentencing for July 28, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Tiffany Bolner, age 21, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to produce and producing child pornography and faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Judge Garbis has scheduled her sentencing for July 28, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. As a result of their convictions, Davison and Bolner will be required to register as sex offenders in the place where they reside, where they are employed, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Davison and Bolner remain detained.

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 Police Department and Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer McAllister for their work in the investigation and prosecution of Davison. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Budlow and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the case.