Project Safe Childhood (PSC) in Maryland is a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat on-line child exploitation and abuse that combines law enforcement efforts, community action and public awareness. There are five essential components to Project Safe Childhood in Maryland: building partnerships, law enforcement coordination, training, public awareness and accountability. The success of this strategy depends on a team effort among our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and on the awareness, dedication and determination of concerned citizens, community activists, parents, educators and civic organizations.
In the District of Maryland, strong and effective partnerships continue between state, local and federal law enforcement, all focused on the prosecution and eradication of child exploitation. State and local law enforcement work closely with federal authorities to pool intelligence and resources, and to ensure that offenders are prosecuted in the jurisdiction where they will receive appropriate sentences for their conduct.
The District of Maryland has traditionally been in the forefront of the federal effort to stamp out child exploitation, particularly through initiatives led by the FBI and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The FBI’s Innocent Images program, located in Baltimore, and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have been highly effective in arresting and convicting “producers,” individuals who sexually abuse children and take visual depictions documenting the abuse, as well as previously convicted sex offenders who have committed new offenses. Additionally, the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force was created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from 10 state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) initiative, protects children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
The PSC program also works with the United States Marshals Service to track sex offenders who avoid registering and remain hidden amongst Maryland’s most vulnerable. Sex offender registration laws serve to notify and protect the community, schools and environments where children are prevalent. Sex offenders who avoid their registration requirements thwart the efforts to keep children safe. The federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act permits federal prosecution of individuals seeking to hide their past from the community and our children.
The District of Maryland has also benefited from the presence nearby of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the United States Department of Justice, which has supplied resources and expertise.
Click here for information on the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood.
Contact Information
For the Northern Division
AUSA Paul Budlow
E-mail: Paul.Budlow@usdoj.gov
U.S. Attorney's Office
36 S. Charles Street 4th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
Telephone: 410-209-4800
Fax: 410-962-3124
For the Southern Division
AUSA Joseph Baldwin
E-mail: Joseph.Baldwin@usdoj.gov
U.S. Attorney's Office
6406 Ivy Lane Suite 800
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Telephone: 301-344-4433
Fax: 301-344-4516
For examples of recent Project Safe Childhood prosecutions in Maryland, click on these links:
2017
-
Allegany County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor to Produce Child Pornography
-
Montgomery County Man Indicted Federally for Production of Child Pornography
- Former Aide at a Prince George’s County Elementary School Pleads Guilty to 15 Counts of Production of Child Pornography
2016
- Havre de Grace Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Transporting Child Pornography
- Couple Admits to Producing Sexually Explicit Pictures of a Child
- Parkville Sex Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor
- Rockville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for “Sextortion”
- Former Maryland Licensed Counselor Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Sexually Exploit an Infant
- Temple Hills Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography
- Previously Convicted Owings Mills Sex Offender Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
- Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Baltimore to Have Sex With a Minor
- Parsonsburg Man Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Distributing Child Pornography
- Anne Arundel County Woman Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison For Conspiracy To Distribute And Receive Child Pornography
- Potomac Man Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography
- El Salvadoran Sentenced To 46 Months In Prison For Failing To Register As A Sex Offender And For Illegally Re-Entering The U.S.
- Pasadena Man Convicted For Conspiracy To Distribute And Receive Child Pornography
- Severn Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Producing Child Pornography
- Bethesda Chevy Chase High School Teacher Indicted for Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography
- Ohio Man Charged With Transporting a Girl from Maryland to Ohio to Engage in Sexual Activity
- Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography
- Washington DC Man Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison for Taking a Nine Year Old Girl to His Government Office to Have Sex
- Worcester County Man Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Producing Pornography Involving Two Girls Ages 10 And 12
- Montgomery County Woman Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For Transporting And Possessing Child Pornography
- Dundalk Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography
- Two Odenton Men Plead Guilty in Scheme to Force Women into Prostitution
- Baltimore Area Pimp Exiled to 7 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
- Former Employee at Ft. Meade Youth Center Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor
- Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Traveling to Maryland to Engage in Sexual Activity with a Minor
- Essex Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography
- Upper Marlboro Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing A Child To Produce Child Pornography
- Former Baltimore Police Officer Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Operating a Prostitution Business
- Two Alleged Pimps Facing Federal Indictment for Kidnapping and Sex Trafficking of a Child
- Air Force NCO Sentenced To 120 Years In Prison For Sexually Exploiting Toddlers And Children To Produce Child Pornography
- St. Leonard’s Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Sexually Exploiting A Minor To Produce Pornography
- St. Mary’s County Man Sentenced To Over 19 Years In Prison For Producing Child Pornography
- Timonium Man Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Child Pornography
- St. Mary’s County Man Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Pornography
- Carroll County Sex Offender Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography
- Federalsburg Man Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison For Producing Child Pornography
- Two Baltimore Area Men Sentenced To 28 And 29 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing A Child To Produce Child Pornography
- Rising Sun Man Sentenced To Over 17 Years In Prison For Sexually Exploiting A Minor To Produce Child Pornography
- Former Navy Reservist Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For The Sexual Exploitation Of Minors To Produce Child Pornography
- Air Force NCO Indicted For Sexually Exploiting Toddlers And Children To Produce Child Pornography
- Twice Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 51 Years in Prison for Eight Counts of Production of Child Pornography
- Parkville Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Sexual Bondage Of a 15 Year Old Girl
- Pimp Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Prostituting a Child Online
- Previously Convicted Child Pornographer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
- Hyattsville Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Child Pornography
- Solomons Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison For Producing Child Pornography
- St. Mary’s County Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Exploiting Two Minor Girls to Produce Child Pornography
- Former Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Production and Possession Of Child Pornography
- Frederick Sex Offender Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Possessing Child Pornography
- Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography
- FormerAirmanSentencedto6YearsinPrisonforDistributingChildPornography
- Rockville Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possessing and Distributing Child Pornography
- Linthicum Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for For Using a Phone to Coerce a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity
- Silver Spring Man Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender
- Former Hagerstown Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor to Produce Child Pornography
- Former Prince George’s County School Bus Driver Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography
- Anne Arundel County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Children to Produce Child Pornography
- Talbot County Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Two Children to Produce Child Pornography
- Cockeysville Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing of Child Pornography
- Owings Mills Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor after Meeting on Facebook Social Network
- Convicted Rapist Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Coercing a Minor to Engage in Sex
- Twice Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 33 Years in Prison for Advertising Child Pornography