Rockville Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Child Pornography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                     at (410) 209-4885      

Greenbelt, Maryland – On April 30, 2018, United States District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Kevin Miller, age 59, of Rockville, Maryland today to ten years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for distribution of child pornography.  Judge Titus ordered that, upon his release from prison, Miller must register as a sex offender in the places 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 Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Sheriff Reggie Mason of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department.

According to his plea agreement, on December 2, 2016, Individual A was arrested in Washington state and charged with child pornography offenses.  During a preliminary forensic examination of Individual A’s electronic devices and media, law enforcement agents discovered three images on a USB drive that geo-located to Maryland.  Two of the images geo-located to the residence of Miller in Rockville, Maryland.

One of the images depicted Victim 1 nude with her genital area exposed.  Victim 1 had just turned ten years old when the picture was taken on April 9, 2016 .

On December 22, 2016, Victim 1 was interviewed by a trained child forensic interviewer.  During the interview, Victim l disclosed that the two nude images of her described above were taken in the basement of Miller’s residence.

On the evening of December 22, 2016, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Miller’s residence and seized electronic devices, including a laptop.  A forensic analysis revealed approximately 36 images of child pornography and child erotica that were still viewable.  The forensic examiner also found remnants of additional files with names indicative of child pornography on both laptops, as well as remnants of a bit torrent peer-to-peer file sharing program on the laptop.

On February 24, 2017, Individual A was interviewed by law enforcement. During that interview, Individual A disclosed that Individual A and Miller met online.  Individual A stated that Miller sent the two nude images of Victim 1 described above, as well as a third image of Victim 1 and Victim 2 clothed, to Individual A.

As part of a separate investigation, a Worcester County sheriff’s deputy downloaded multiple images and videos of child pornography that Miller made available for sharing through a bit torrent peer-to-peer file sharing program on at least seventeen separate occasions between October and December 2016.  Overall, the Worcester County sheriff’s department downloaded at least 67 videos and 31 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Miller made available for sharing through a bit torrent peer-to-peer file sharing program.

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 Robert K. Hur praised HSI Baltimore, HSI Blaine, Washington, and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Edwards, who prosecuted the case.