Brian Anthony Gilbert, Child Sex Abuse, Maryland 2020

Brian Anthony Gilbert, a 33-year-old man from District Heights, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, stemming from his sexual abuse of two minor children.

The FBI investigation, led by the Baltimore Field Office, revealed that Gilbert uploaded and advertised video files of child pornography depicting a seven-year-old female victim on an online bulletin board dedicated to child pornography. The videos, which were approximately 10 minutes and 15 minutes in length, showed Gilbert engaging in sexual acts with the victim.

Gilbert admitted to producing the videos and distributing them on the Tor network, a computer network designed for anonymous communication. A search warrant executed at Gilbert’s residence on September 11, 2020, uncovered a number of electronic devices, which subsequent forensic analysis revealed over 2,000 files depicting child pornography.

Among the seized files were six videos of Gilbert engaging in sexual acts with the seven-year-old victim and a two-year-old victim in Gilbert’s bedroom or the victim’s residence. The files also included pre-pubescent children under the age of 12, as well as sadistic or masochistic conduct, including the use of instruments or tools on children.

Gilbert faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for each of the two counts of production of child pornography, as well as a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for December 8 at 9:30 a.m. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner, Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, and Chief Malik Aziz made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin and Trial Attorneys Alicia Bove and Jessica Urban are prosecuting the case.

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