Frederick Sex Offender Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Possessing Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland –U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles Jr. sentenced Emil Moldovan, age 40, of Frederick, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for possessing child pornography. Judge Quarles also ordered that upon his release from prison, Moldovan must register as a sex offender in the place 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 Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to his plea agreement, on June 28, 2011 an undercover internet investigation identified an image of child pornography being downloaded from a computer at Moldovan’s address.  A search warrant was executed at Moldovan’s residence and law enforcement seized computers and storage media containing over 600 videos and images of child pornography. The depictions included images of children under 12 engaged in sexual conduct, including sadistic conduct and other depictions of violence.

Moldovan stated that he had been downloading child pornography and since his internet service was too expensive, he had cancelled it and was connecting to the internet via an open wireless connection he located in his neighborhood. 

Moldovan had previously been convicted in January 2007 in Frederick County Circuit Court of distributing and promoting child pornography.

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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.              

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended HSI Baltimore and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.