Previously Convicted Child Pornographer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Johnny Daniel Duran, age 34, of Hagerstown, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Judge Bennett also ordered that upon his release from prison, Duran must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to the plea agreement, from at least December 19, 2011 through April 12, 2012, investigators observed Duran logged on to a file sharing program and shared images and videos of child pornography. Duran accessed the file sharing program from the wireless Internet connection at a relatives’ residence in Frederick, Maryland; from the unsecured wireless connections of his neighbors in Hagerstown, Maryland (without their knowledge or consent); and from his T-Mobile wireless Internet access account.
On December 19, 2011, a special agent from the Innocent Images Operations Unit of the FBI, working in an undercover capacity, downloaded 100 images and eight videos from Duran’s shared files, and at least half of the images and videos contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. On December 30, 2011, an undercover investigator with the Maryland State Police downloaded 328 images and 30 videos from Duran’s shared files, while chatting with Duran. A review of the files revealed that at least 65 images and 15 videos contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. On March 25 and April 2, 2012, a task force agent from the New Haven FBI was also able to download at least 50 images of child pornography from Duran’s shared files.
On April 12, 2012, search warrants were executed at Duran’s residence, the residence of his relatives, and on Duran. Law enforcement seized Duran’s laptop computer, a laptop hard drive, and Duran’s cellular telephone. A forensic examination of the computer found in excess of 13,000 picture files and 1,155 videos containing suspected child pornography, including all the files obtained by law enforcement. Three separate file sharing programs had been installed and used to download child pornography. Most of the pictures and videos were of pubescent and prepubescent males. The video files primarily depicted prepubescent and pubescent males, including infants and toddlers, being sexually abused.
Duran was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in the Circuit Court for Frederick County, and on April 16, 2006, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, of which three years and six months were suspended, and placed on three years’ probation.
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 Attorneys’ 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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.