FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
December 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GLEN BURNIE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSION
OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Baltimore, Maryland - Paul Gary Pinkston, age 27, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to Pinkston’s plea agreement, on May 4, 2009, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant at Pinkston’s residence, after investigation showed that he subscribed to a fee-based child pornography website. During the search, agents seized Pinkston’s computer and a subsequent forensic examination revealed images of prepubescent minors, under the age of 12, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including 29 videos and 53 images.
Pinkston faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for possession of child pornography, followed by supervised release up to life. U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson has scheduled sentencing for March 3, 2010, at 9:30 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to 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 praised U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the case.