A federal grand jury has indicted David Alain Schmidt, a 43-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, on charges related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material. The announcement was made by Phil Selden, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and Chief Marc R. Yamada of the Montgomery County Police Department.
The indictment alleges that in October 2024, Schmidt enticed a minor to produce child sexual abuse material and possessed sexually explicit images of a minor victim. If convicted, Schmidt faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for producing such material and up to 10 years for possession. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
It is important to note that an indictment is not an indication of guilt; individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Acting U.S. Attorney Selden commended both HSI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their investigative efforts. He also expressed gratitude towards Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy for prosecuting the case.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project coordinates resources from various levels of government to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
Additionally, Know2Protect is highlighted as a national public awareness campaign by the Department of Homeland Security focused on preventing online child sexual exploitation through education and empowerment initiatives.
For further information about Project Safe Childhood or Know2Protect, resources are available at www.justice.gov/psc and www.dhs.gov/know2protect respectively.
