Deonte Carraway Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Production

Deonte Carraway, 22, of Glenarden, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for producing child pornography, involving 12 child victims between the ages of nine and 13. The former aide at a Prince George’s County elementary school admitted to orchestrating and recording graphic sexual acts with children he was entrusted to care for, exploiting his position of authority in both school and church settings.

Between September 2015 and February 2016, Carraway served as an unpaid Dedicated Assistant at the elementary school, following a prior role as a paid teacher’s assistant since 2014. He also directed a children’s choir at a Prince George’s County church, using both positions to gain access to minors and the trust of their families. According to his plea agreement, Carraway used these relationships to manipulate children into performing and recording sex acts, often providing them with cell phones to facilitate the abuse.

Carraway admitted to personally engaging in sex acts with children aged nine to 11, recording the acts on his phone, and directing minors to perform sexual acts with each other while filming them. He created a secret club that required children to send sexually explicit images via messaging apps to join. He also solicited images and videos from minor males and distributed explicit material of himself and other children to his victims, further normalizing the abuse.

The case unraveled when an alert relative discovered an inappropriate photo on a child’s smartphone and immediately contacted police. That call triggered a joint investigation by the FBI Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force and the Prince George’s County Police Department. Digital evidence recovered from multiple devices confirmed Carraway’s systematic exploitation of vulnerable children over several months.

Carraway has agreed to a sentence of 60 to 100 years in federal prison under the terms of his plea deal. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. Carraway has been detained without bond since his arrest and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

“Deonte Carraway abused at least 12 child victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Fortunately, an alert relative checked a child’s smartphone, found an inappropriate photo and called the police. That call may have prevented more children from being abused.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson called the sentence a clear signal: “Our community just got a lot safer today.”