Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

UPDATE 12/21/2017: United States District Judge Paul W. Grimm has sentenced former Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander C. Sullivan, age 38, of King George, Virginia, to 2 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Sheriff Troy D. Berry of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Steve F. Dempsey of the King George County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the plea agreement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received four tips from a company that provides cloud security concerning suspected child pornography being uploaded to a specific telephone number in October and November 2016. An officer from the Charles County Sheriff’s Department conducted a search on the telephone number and determined that it belonged to Alexander Sullivan of Indian Head, Maryland. A state search warrant for Sullivan and his telephone was executed in Charles County on November 17, 2016. A preview of the materials on the phone allegedly revealed more than 100 images and at least seven videos containing child pornography.

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 Baltimore, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and the King George County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the federal case.

11/22/2016: The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and United States federal prosecutors in reference to the arrest of Alexander C. Sullivan, 37, a Charles County Sheriff’s Officer who was charged on November 21 with possession of child pornography.

The arrest is the result of an investigation that was initiated by Charles County Sheriff’s detectives who were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Internet Crimes Against Children program regarding someone uploading child pornography to a cell phone number based in Charles County.

Investigators assigned to the CCSO Criminal Investigations Division recognized the name of the person affiliated with the phone number as a fellow officer. Sheriff Troy D. Berry said detectives launched a swift and immediate investigation which was subsequently turned over to federal authorities at the recommendation of the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners as the investigation moves forward,” said Sheriff Berry.

In accordance with agency policy, Sullivan, a 10-year-veteran, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of a criminal trial.

Homeland Security Investigations is continuing the investigation.

This entry was posted on December 21, 2017 at 4:10 pm and is filed under All News, Calvert News, Community, County, Law Enforcement, Top News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.