FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
November 21, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORMER MARYLAND DELEGATE ROBERT MCKEE SENTENCED TO
OVER 3 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Delegate Resigned Following Execution of Search Warrant
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Robert Allen McKee, age 59, of Hagerstown, today to 37 months in prison, followed by supervised release for life, for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. McKee, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 1994, resigned from office earlier this year. He was also the Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Washington County from 1978 until his resignation earlier this year.
“Federal and state law enforcement officials are working together in Maryland to combat sexual exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to his plea agreement, a resident of McKee’s house advised the Washington County Sheriff’s Department that she had found child pornography in the house and provided a deputy sheriff with computer printer pages containing the images. McKee’s residence was searched on January 31, 2008 and between 10 and 150 images of child pornography were seized, including images of prepubescent children.
McKee admitted that he had obtained child pornography as early as 2004 through sites on the Internet and mail order service. McKee’s journals document that he simultaneously printed images of child pornography from the Internet and printed stories describing sexual acts between young boys and other young boys or adult men. McKee’s journals reflected that he then looked at the pictures while he read the stories.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore and Washington County State’s Attorney Charles P. Strong, Jr., and their offices, for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.