Former Daycare Worker Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation Charges

Baltimore, Maryland - A federal jury indicted a former daycare worker in connection with child sexual abuse crimes.

Simone Unadrea Avery, 23, of Baltimore, is charged with one count of sexually exploiting a child and two counts of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).

According to the three-count indictment, on April 23, 2024, Avery, who worked at a daycare center as a substitute, produced two image files depicting a prepubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. She also possessed an iPhone and a hard drive that each contained one or more visual depictions of a prepubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.

If convicted, Avery faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child and a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years for possessing CSAM.

This case is 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 Attorney's 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 justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.

# # #