Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
Molly Elisabeth Duncan of Beachwood, Ohio, pleaded guilty on April 6 to charges related to the sexual abuse of two children under her care while working as a nanny in Northeast Ohio.
The case is significant because it involves the exploitation and abuse of very young children by someone entrusted with their care. It also highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement and federal prosecutors to address child sexual exploitation.
According to court documents, Duncan was employed as a nanny from about November 2023 to July 2024. During this period, she sexually abused one victim in Portage County and another in Geauga County, both under the age of two. She recorded these acts on her cellphone and distributed the files through a social media platform shared with multiple users. Investigators found several child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files related to each victim during a forensic analysis of Duncan’s electronic devices.
Duncan pleaded guilty in federal court before District Court Judge Pamela A. Barker to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Distribution of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography or CSAM. Sentencing is scheduled for July 22. Each count of Sexual Exploitation carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years; distribution and possession charges carry up to 20 years each. The final sentence will be determined after consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations’ Cleveland Field Office and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with assistance from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Michelle M. Baeppler are prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online and rescuing victims.
