District of Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia resident pleaded guilty today to a one count information charging him with possession of child pornography, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced.

Malcolm Ewing, 44, appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan at the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and admitted that he downloaded images of child pornography at his place of employment and transported those images to his residence in the District of Columbia. Ewing further admitted the images had been printed and that he knowingly possessed them.

The case emerged from a U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigation that targeted individuals trading child pornography through online magazines established to promote sexual relationships between adults and children. According to Ewing’s plea, he engaged in chats with an undercover inspector he met through one of the online magazines and offered to trade images depicting sexual abuse of children. According to plea documents, during a search of Ewing’s residence, law enforcement located approximately two hundred printed images depicting sexual abuse of children.

Ewing’s sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 13, 2008. At sentencing, consistent with the terms of his plea agreement, Ewing faces up to 10 years in prison, lifetime supervised release following his release from prison and a fine up to $250,000.

The case arose out of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.