Steven Christopher Kelban, Child Pornography Possession, Maryland 2024

BALTIMORE, MD – Steven Christopher Kelban, 50, of Catonsville, Maryland, is headed back to prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett handed down a 10-year federal sentence, followed by lifetime supervised release, for the possession of child sexual abuse material. This isn’t Kelban’s first rodeo; he’s a repeat offender with a disturbing history of exploiting children.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, alongside William J. DelBagno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, and Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) Chief Robert McCullough. The coordinated effort highlights the dedication to tackling this vile crime, but the fact that Kelban was able to re-offend after prior convictions raises serious questions about the system’s ability to protect vulnerable children.

Kelban’s rap sheet stretches back years. He was first convicted of possessing obscene matter involving persons under 17 in Shelby County, Alabama, in 2015. A year later, in 2016, he was convicted of distributing child pornography right here in Baltimore County. Released from Alabama prison on November 20, 2023, he registered as a sex offender in Maryland the very next day, listing a Baltimore County address. It was a disturbingly short time before he was back at it.

Just one week after registering, on November 28th, BCPD’s online investigation of the BitTorrent network flagged Kelban’s IP address. It was linked to a torrent containing over 2,000 files – including at least one confirmed piece of child sexual abuse material. The IP address traced directly back to the Baltimore County residence Kelban had registered as his home. A search also revealed approximately 150 images and 200 videos of child sexual abuse material stored on his cell phone. This wasn’t a casual glance; it was a deliberate collection.

This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. While the program aims to “locate, apprehend, and prosecute” offenders, the continued cycle of re-offense with individuals like Kelban demonstrates that more aggressive intervention and preventative measures are desperately needed. Resources and information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at justice.gov/psc.

U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI and BCPD for their investigative work, and specifically thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood for her prosecution of the federal case. While a decade behind bars is a step, it doesn’t erase the harm Kelban has caused. The Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. The question remains: how many more children are at risk while repeat offenders like Kelban cycle through the system?

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