GREENBELT, MD – A former Montgomery County music teacher was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
Charles Victor Kopfstein-Penk, 75, of Bethesda, Maryland, was ordered to pay $144,000 in restitution to 35 victims as part of his plea agreement.
Kopfstein-Penk, who gave music lessons out of his home, pleaded guilty to the federal charge on February 10, 2020.
According to his plea agreement, Maryland State Police were conducting an investigation on an online peer-to-peer network in March 2019 when they discovered Kopfstein-Penk’s IP address requesting suspected child pornography files.
On May 21, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Kopfstein-Penk’s residence and found over 400,000 files of suspected child pornography on his computer, as well as 1,126,000 images and 6,800 videos of child abuse on external storage media.
Kopfstein-Penk admitted to using file-sharing software to download child pornography for approximately 10 years and stated he had been collecting files for over 20 years.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang imposed the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI, the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.
Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Kopfstein-Penk’s case is part of Project Safe Childhood, which has marshaled federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.
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- Peter Flynn, Child Pornography Distribution, Greenbelt MD, 2015 · Alabama
- Howard James Clem IV, Conspiracy to Distribute and Receive Child Po… · Maryland
- Nicholas Paul Pedone, Possessing Child Pornography, Baltimore MD, 2023 · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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