Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander C. Sullivan, Possession of Child Pornography, Maryland 2016

Greenbelt, Maryland – Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander C. Sullivan, 37, of King George, Virginia, has been charged with possession of child pornography. The charges came after a federal criminal complaint was filed on November 21, 2016 and Sullivan was arrested that evening.

Sullivan is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 3:00 p.m. today, before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Connelly.

The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received four tips from a company that provides cloud security concerning suspected child pornography being uploaded to a specific telephone number in October and November 2016. An officer from the Charles County Sheriff’s Department conducted a search on the telephone number and determined that it belonged to Alexander Sullivan of Indian Head, Maryland. Sullivan had resided in Indian Head prior to recently relocating to Virginia.

A state search warrant for Sullivan and his telephone was executed in Charles County on November 17, 2016. A preview of the materials on the phone allegedly revealed more than 200 images and five videos containing child pornography. The forensic investigation is ongoing.

If convicted, Sullivan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.

A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case was brought as 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.

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