A Maryland man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for traveling to Washington D.C. to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography.
Charles Nickerson, Jr., 35, formerly of Stevensville, Md., was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term on charges of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to the government’s evidence, on March 5, 2012, Nickerson contacted an undercover officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, who had posted a message on a website that is frequented by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. As the online exchange continued, Nickerson sent the undercover officer, whom he believed was the father of an under-aged girl, five images of child pornography.
In the course of further communications, Nickerson arranged to meet with the undercover officer and the purported child on March 9, 2012. At about 7 that night, law enforcement stopped him in his vehicle in Northwest Washington and placed him under arrest. A search of Nickerson’s car led to the discovery of a blue bag with sex toys and personal lubricant.
Pursuant to a warrant, law enforcement searched Nickerson’s residence in Stevensville, Md., on March 12, 2012. Law enforcement seized a computer which contained numerous images of child pornography, including the five distributed to the undercover officer. As part of his guilty plea, Nickerson agreed to forfeiture of his car, computer, and other items.
This case was brought as part of the Attorney General’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassidy Kesler Pinegar, David Last, and Amy H. Zubrensky, who investigated and prosecuted the case, and Catherine K. Connelly, who assisted with forfeiture issues.
Related Federal Cases
- Charles Johnson Sentenced to 32 Years for Child Sex Abuse, Washington DC, 2023 · West Virginia
- John Doe, Online Child Exploitation, MD, 2023 · Maryland
- Man Whose Name is Withheld, Child Sexual Exploitation, D.C. 2023 · Maryland
- Patrick Shawn Sutphin, Child Exploitation and Pornography, MD 2023 · Maryland
- Christopher David Johnston, Attempted Child Sex Exploitation, WA 2023 · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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