A federal grand jury has indicted Stephen Nicholas Westcott, 35, of Kennedyville, Maryland, on charges including Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Distribution and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, and Illegal Possession of an Unregistered Silencer. Authorities arrested Westcott in Manistee County, Michigan after he allegedly fled Maryland following the issuance of an arrest warrant in February 2025.
The indictment alleges that Westcott produced sexually explicit images involving a child under five years old. He is also accused of distributing child sexual abuse materials via internet platforms such as Snapchat, Discord, and Telegram while keeping a collection of these materials on his electronic devices.
“If convicted, Westcott faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count of Distribution of Child Pornography. Additionally, Westcott is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count of Possession of Child Pornography and a maximum 10-year sentence for the count of Possession of an Unregistered Silencer.”
Sentences imposed by federal courts are often less than the statutory maximums. Sentencing decisions are made by district court judges who consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other legal factors.
“An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.”
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program brings together federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute offenders as well as identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc; resources on internet safety education are available through the same site’s “Resources” tab.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes recognized the efforts made by the FBI Baltimore Field Office, ATF, Maryland State Police (MSP), Manistee County Sheriff's Office, FBI Detroit office as well as prosecutors from Cecil County and Kent County involved in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn is handling the prosecution.
Further details about the work done by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be accessed at justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
