Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Charles Henry Crocker, age 45, of Phoenix, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography. Judge Bennett ordered that upon his release from prison, Crocker 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 Andre Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to his plea agreement, on July 18, 2003, Crocker was convicted of possession of child pornography in federal court in Florida, sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

On April 25, 2015, an undercover Baltimore County Police detective connected to the internet and downloaded a movie file that was being made available by an internet user.  The file contained a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Further investigation revealed that Crocker had made the file available.

On May 1, 2015, Baltimore County Police officers executed a search warrant at Crocker’s residence and seized a laptop, desktop computer and two external hard drives.  Crocker admitted that he began looking at child pornography a couple years after being release from prison from his prior conviction.  Previews of the electronic devices revealed several videos.  A subsequent forensic review of the devices revealed additional videos.  The videos included between 300 and 600 images of child pornography, including those involving prepubescent females.

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 HSI Baltimore, Baltimore County Police Department, FBI and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Kehoe, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.