Frederick County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Toddler

William H. Steinhaus IV, 34, of Brunswick, Maryland, pleaded guilty on December 6, 2016, to sexually exploiting a two-year-old girl to produce child pornography. The grim details of the case, laid bare in federal court, reveal a calculated, tech-fueled descent into depravity, with Steinhaus using messaging apps to share images of his abuse and coordinate further exploitation with like-minded predators.

According to his plea agreement, between December 8 and 9, 2014, Steinhaus engaged in sexually explicit conversations on Kik, an instant messaging platform, with multiple users who shared his interest in prepubescent children. During that time, he used his iPhone or iPad to photograph the toddler engaged in sexually explicit conduct and distributed the images to approximately 25 Kik contacts. The messages were not just exchanges of images—they were blueprints for abuse, with Steinhaus telling one user, ‘That’s where tw[sic] assault will happen,’ while sending photos of a couch.

Steinhaus exchanged roughly 290 messages with one Kik user, discussing in graphic detail how he would sexually abuse the child. He sent images of himself and the toddler in compromising positions and confirmed plans to continue the assaults. On the same day, he held another exchange—293 messages—with a second user, repeating the same vile pattern: images of the child, descriptions of planned abuse, and photos of the crime scene.

Unbeknownst to Steinhaus, one of the users he was messaging was an undercover law enforcement officer. Over a 48-hour period, Steinhaus sent the officer about 30 photos of the victim and himself in sexually explicit acts. He also exchanged approximately 419 messages with the undercover agent, believing he was connecting with another predator. His digital trail led authorities straight to him through emergency legal requests that traced his Kik and Yahoo accounts.

On December 9, 2014, federal and local officers launched surveillance on Steinhaus’ residence. As they prepared to execute a search warrant, Steinhaus escalated—sending new images of himself with the victim in the background, boasting he’d be alone with her and resume the abuse. Officers used a ruse to draw him outside. When he emerged with his iPhone, they moved in. Steinhaus fought violently to keep them from seizing the device, but agents overpowered him, secured the phone, and rescued the child.

Under his plea agreement, Steinhaus must register as a sex offender under SORNA at his residence, workplace, and any educational institution he attends. He must also plead guilty to related charges pending in Frederick County Circuit Court. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on a sentencing range of 23 to 38 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake scheduled sentencing for February 24, 2017, at 9:15 a.m. The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.

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