Baltimore Man Sentenced to Life in Prison and His Girlfriend to Over 19 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor to Produce Child Pornography
Defendant’s Prior Conviction for Attempted Rape of Minor Child Yields Mandatory Life Sentence at Age 27

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Jesse Aaron Davison, age 27, of Baltimore, today to life in prison for conspiring to produce and producing child pornography, possession of child pornography, and obstruction of justice. Davison was convicted on May 12, 2011, after a five-day bench trial.

Judge Garbis sentenced Tiffany Bolner, age 21, of Baltimore, today to 235 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for conspiring to produce and producing child pornography. Bolner pleaded guilty on March 8, 2011.

Judge Garbis also ordered that, upon their release from prison, Davison and Bolner must register as sex offenders in the place where they reside, where they are employees, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

“Jesse Aaron Davison committed this crime six months after he received parole on a prior conviction for attempted rape of a child,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Under federal law, for this second conviction there will be no probation and no parole. He will never have another opportunity to victimize a child.”

The sentences were 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 Bolner’s plea agreement and evidence presented at Davison’s trial, sometime in 2009, 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 sometime 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 is subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole, under 18 U.S.C. 3559(e), because he has a prior conviction for sexual offense in which the victim was a minor.

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 and Bolner. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Budlow and Kristi N. O’Malley, who prosecuted the case.