Greenbelt, Maryland - Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander C. Sullivan, age 37, of King George, Virginia, has been charged federally with possession of child pornography. The federal criminal complaint was filed on Nov. 21, 2016 and Sullivan was arrested that evening. Sullivan is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 3:00 p.m. today, before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Connelly.
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, 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. The officer recognized Sullivan’s name and telephone number as belonging to a fellow officer. Sullivan had resided in Indian Head prior to recently relocating to Virginia.
A state search warrant for Sullivan and his telephone was executed in Charles County on Nov. 17, 2016. A preview of the materials on the phone allegedly revealed more than 200 images and five videos containing child pornography. The forensic investigation is ongoing.
If convicted, Sullivan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
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 Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the federal case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
