Baltimore, Maryland - On May 2, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Kenneth Brian Fischer, age 40, of Westminster, Maryland for production of child pornography, attempted production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Sheriff James T. DeWees of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr. of the Fairfax County, Virginia Police; the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney’s Office.
According to the eight-count indictment, Fischer was a resident of Carroll County, Maryland and was employed as a teacher by the Carroll County School System. Fischer used social media applications, including Kik and Grindr, to meet and communicate with underage minor males for the purpose of enticing and directing the minors to produce depictions of sexually explicit conduct and send them to Fischer.
In or about August 2017, law enforcement identified Fischer after he communicated with an undercover agent posing as a minor male on Grindr. Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at Fischer’s home in Westminster, Maryland and seized various electronic devices. A search on a cell phone revealed that Fischer had been communicating with five real minors beginning in November 2014 and continuing through his arrest in September 2017.
According to the indictment, Fischer enticed three minor males to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Fischer also attempted to entice two minor males to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Fischer also sent e-mail messages containing videos and still images of one of the minor males engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Fischer received an image of another one of the minor males engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Fischer was previously arrested in Westminster, Maryland on related charges and has been in custody since Sept. 13, 2017.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment 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 Attorney’s 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 commended the FBI, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Fairfax County Police, and the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ayn B. Ducao, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
