An Annapolis man received an active 10-year prison sentence and was ordered to register for his lifetime on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry for possessing more than 1,000 files of child pornography on his Apple iPad Pro, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.
Keith Lionel Brown, 65, pleaded guilty Wednesday to 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis.
Brown was sentenced to 50 years, with all but ten years suspended. In addition, Brown received five years of supervised probation, with requirements to register as a Tier III Sex Offender, forfeit all seized devices, not own any internet-accessible device, have no contact with a minor child, and complete the Sex Offender Program at the Johns Hopkins Center for the Study, Prevention, and Treatment for Sexual Trauma. Prosecutors had argued for Brown to receive a sentence of 50 years, with all but 30 years suspended.
“The number of files containing child pornography found on the defendant’s device is abhorrent and an eye-opening reminder that sexual crimes committed against vulnerable children are pervasive in and outside of our community,” Leitess said. “My office is committed to keeping predators like this defendant accountable and deter further crimes through prison time, treatment, and a lengthy backup sentence should any violations be committed.
“I want to thank the NCMEC for their important work, and the Anne Arundel County police for a quick response and strong investigation leading to this sentence.”
Detectives with the Anne Arundel County police received numerous tips through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for images containing child pornography being uploaded to an Apple iCloud account searched through the Quora website. Through investigation, the IP address for the account was linked to Brown. Apple provided detectives with account content, which included 461 images of child pornography.
A search and seizure warrant was served at Brown’s home in Annapolis, leading to the discovery of 113 DVDs, 12 magazines, 13 photos, and three VHS tapes, including child pornography. A search of Brown’s Apple iPad alone revealed over 1,000 files of child pornography.
When interviewed by detectives, Brown confirmed he was the owner of the account and indicated the explicit material of children under the age of 10 would be found on his devices.
