Bethesda Chevy Chase High School Teacher Indicted For Distributing And Possessing Child Pornography

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted Peter Flynn, age 61, of Silver Spring, Maryland on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 for distributing and possessing child pornography.  Flynn was arrested today and is scheduled to have his initial appearance in federal court at 1:30 p.m. in Greenbelt today.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Lt. Colonel Anthony C. Satchell, Acting Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Flynn is a special education teacher at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. According to the two count indictment, on April 3, 2014, Flynn distributed child pornography, and on September 30, 2014 he possessed child pornography.

Flynn faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison for distributing child pornography; and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release. 

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.

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 Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor M. Mulroe of the U.S. Department of Justice, who are prosecuting the case.