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CONTACT AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md
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ST. MARY’S COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Greenbelt, Maryland - Andrew Vincent Mattingly, age 28, of Saint Inigoes, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to the plea agreement, in September of 2004 FBI agents in Detroit, Michigan searched a residence of a person who charged users to view a child pornography website that he created. The individual used an on-line payment service to collect the payments. FBI agents determined from the on-line payment service records that Mattingly had paid to access the illegal website.
On February 2, 2005, FBI agents interviewed Mattingly who admitted to downloading images of child pornography and using a payment service to subscribe to illegal child pornography websites that contained images of children eight years and older. The defendant admitted that he had between 10 and 150 images of child pornography on his computer, including children under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Mattingly faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has not yet scheduled sentencing.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit <file://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Sartori, who is prosecuting the case.
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