Randallstown Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced John Michael Fowler, age 28, of Randallstown, Maryland, today to 40 years in federal prison for four counts of  sexually abusing a minor in order to produce visual images of the abuse, and one count of possession of child pornography, followed by 30 years of supervised release.   Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Fowler must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

“John Fowler is a sexual predator who committed horrific acts against innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This sentence demonstrates our commitment to protect our children and to hold accountable those who endanger them.  As there is no parole for federal sentences, we have removed the threat of Mr. Fowler from our community.”

According to his indictment and other court documents, Fowler sexually abused two young girls and took videos and photos documenting the abuse.  Specifically, in 2013 and 2014 Fowler sexually abused a girl who was six years old when the abuse began.  Fowler photographed the abuse and those sexually explicit images were found during a search of his Randallstown home on February 16, 2017.  Fowler admitted that he also abused an eight-year-old girl, whom Fowler thought was sleeping, using his mobile phone to produce sexually explicit images of the girl.

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 Attorneys’ 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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.