Registered Sex Offender Indicted for Cyberstalking and Enticing a Minor Victim to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Ceradoy was convicted of possession of child pornography in 2005 and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in 2014

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has charged Piere Ceradoy, age 36, of Crofton, Maryland, for production and advertisement of child pornography, coercion and enticement, cyberstalking, transfer of obscene material, and for engaging in this conduct while a registered sex offender. The indictment was returned on May 23, 2017. He was also ordered to be detained following a detention hearing held on May 25, 2017.

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning and Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to the seven count indictment, and information presented at the detention hearing, Ceradoy met a minor victim on social networking apps in the spring of 2016, within months of being released from prison in Washington for his conviction on attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

The victim told Ceradoy she was 13, and Ceradoy immediately initiated sexually explicit discussions. Ceradoy enticed the victim to engage in sex acts, and received videos and photos of the victim engaged in these acts. He also threatened to post the explicit photos on the internet and to send them to the victim’s family, and Ceradoy threatened to kill the victim and members of her family.

Ceradoy faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for each counts of production and advertising of child pornography; a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for coercion and enticement; a maximum of 10 years, followed by three years of supervised release for cyberstalking; a maximum of 10 years, followed by three years of supervised release for transfer of obscene matter to a minor; and 10 years consecutive to all the charges stated above, excluding cyberstalking, for being a registered sex offender, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

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 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.

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended HSI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.