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Press Release

Former Baltimore City Music Teacher Facing Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation and Coercion of a Minor, and Other Child Pornography Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lewis Ismael Blandon, a/k/a “LordLewy”, age 35, of Edgewood, Maryland, for the charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, distribution/receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Blandon is a former Baltimore City Public Schools music teacher.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his 18-count indictment, beginning in December 2020, Blandon operated several different social media accounts and a variety of aliases on these platforms to meet and/or communicate with minor males. Blandon allegedly used these aliases and social media platforms to persuade, induce, entice and coerce three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to send Blandon images and video of that conduct during the victims’ online communications with Blandon.

The indictment alleges that Blandon, using an alias of “JaggRock,” also used an online messaging account to send images of what Blandon represented was his penis to one of the minor victims on three separate occasions.  Under the same username, Blandon also allegedly distributed and possessed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including a video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.

If convicted, Blandon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison for each of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct; a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for four counts each of receipt of child pornography and distribution of child pornography; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of three counts of possession of child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Blandon has been detained since he was arrested on related charges on October 13, 2021.  

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies.  The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.

MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.         

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Maryland Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Contact

Marcia Murphy
(410) 209-4854

Updated October 28, 2021

Topic
Project Safe Childhood