Baltimore Recidivist Sex Offender Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation Charges

Baltimore, Maryland - A Baltimore convicted sex offender is facing indictment stemming from child sexual exploitation charges.

Tarif Jahmil Alston, 43, is charged with five counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material, two counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.

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; Clinton J. Fuchs, U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland (USMS); Ivan J. Bates, State's Attorney for Baltimore City; and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).

According to the federal indictment, Alston used a BitComet program on his cellphone to distribute and receive child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement found Alston, a convicted sex offender, in possession of more than 1,700 visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. At the time of his arrest, Alston failed to comply with registering as a sex offender. Alston has more than five prior convictions for failing to register as a sex offender in Baltimore.

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.

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, Alston faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison for each count of receipt of child sexual abuse material, a minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years for distribution of child sexual abuse material, and a minimum sentence of 10 years and maximum sentence of 20 years for possession of child sexual abuse material.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, USMS, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Elliot Higgins who are 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.

# # #