Baltimore Man Facing Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor to Produce Child Pornography and for Possession of Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Christopher Kenji Bendann, age 39 of Baltimore, with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and with possession of child pornography.  The indictment was returned on August 16, 2023, and unsealed today upon Bendann’s arrest. 

The defendant had his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan Hurson ordered that Bendann be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, August 21, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.  The detention hearing will be held in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron: Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to the six-count indictment, between September 16, 2017, and February 9, 2019, the defendant persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that a visual depiction of that conduct could be produced and transmitted.  Further, the indictment alleges that Bendann possessed child sexual abuse material between September 1, 2017, and January 23, 2023.

If convicted, Bendann faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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 Attorney’s 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 Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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