Registered Sex Offender Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison For Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Steven Christopher Kelban, 50, of Catonsville, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for possessing child sexual abuse material as a recidivist offender.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).

According to his guilty plea, Kelban has two prior child pornography convictions. In 2015, Kelban was convicted of possession of obscene matter of persons under 17 in Shelby County, Alabama. Then in 2016, he was convicted of distributing child pornography in Baltimore County, Maryland.

On November 20, 2023, Kelban was released from prison in Alabama and then returned to Maryland.  He registered as a sex offender in Maryland, as required, on November 21, 2023, listing a Baltimore County address.

Then on November 28, BCPD conducted an online investigation of the BitTorrent network to find offenders sharing child pornography.  Law enforcement found Kelban’s IP address associated with a torrent that contained more than 2,000 files, including at least one of suspected child sexual abuse material.  The IP address matched the device connected to Kelban’s Baltimore County residence, the same address that Kelban used to register as a sex offender one week prior. Additionally, Kelban possessed approximately 150 images and 200 videos of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone.

This case is 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 justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and BCPD for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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