Maryland Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison for Production of Child Pornography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                     at (410) 209-4885      

Greenbelt, Maryland – On December 19, 2017, United States District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Aaron Lee Smiley, age 57, of Mechanicsville, Maryland to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor for the Purpose of Producing Child Pornography. Judge Titus also ordered forfeiture of Smiley’s interest in his house because he used the computer in his home office to sexually exploit minors for the purpose of producing child pornography.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron of St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s office.

According to his plea agreement, between 2014 and 2016, Smiley had three victims ages 12 through 16 and one victim under the age of twelve.  Smiley exchanged pictures, text messages, internet chats and videos with minors using a variety of programs, including Skype, ooVoo, and KIK.  Smiley was entrusted with the custody, care, or supervisory control of the victim under twelve when he took pictures of the child.

During a raid of his home, Department of Homeland Security agents recovered over 100 online video recordings of chats between Smiley and one of the victims in which he entices the underage victim to engage in sexual explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions.

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised the FBI, HSI, MSP, St. Mary’s County Sherriff and the Queensland Police Service in Brisbane, Australia for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Finocchiaro, who prosecuted the case.