Westminster Man Sentenced To Over 5 Years In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Joshua Foe, age 35, of Westminster, Maryland, today to 63 months in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Judge Russell ordered that upon his release from prison, Foe 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 William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to Foe’s plea agreement, on two occasions between September 11, 2012, and March 16, 2013, undercover law enforcement agents downloaded child pornography from files being shared by Foe through the use of file sharing software. A federal search warrant was subsequently executed at Foe’s home and law enforcement seized Foe’s computer and other digital media. A forensic analysis of the computer revealed approximately 277 images and 296 videos documenting the sexual abuse of children, including prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

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 HSI Baltimore and the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.