FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
June 20, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
REISTERSTOWN MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 11 YEARS FOR DISTRIBUTING
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ON THE INTERNET
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced William Lee Burdette, Jr., age 65, of Reisterstown, Maryland, today to 135 months in prison followed by supervised release for life for distributing child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to his guilty plea, on August 1, 2005 a Carroll County Sheriff’s corporal was operating in an undercover capacity in an internet chat room when he received an email message from screen name, “hornyMDOlderguy,” used by Burdette that contained two attachments portraying a naked minor female engaged in oral sex with an adult male, and a partially naked minor female with exposed genitalia. Thereafter, nine additional images of child pornography were transmitted from the same screen name to the undercover officer. Burdette’s residence was searched on December 8, 2005 and a subsequent examination of his computer and removable media revealed 472 images and two videos of child pornography. Burdette admitted that he traded child pornography with others between January 2004 and October 2005, mostly through AOL.
This case was brought as part of 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.