Maryland Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Child Pornography Offense

(Alexandria, Virginia) – James Stark, age 47, of Frederick, Maryland, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for receiving child pornography over the internet. Stark also faces a ten year term of supervised release upon completing his term of incarceration. Dana Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph Persichini, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Washington Field Office; and, David M. Rohrer, Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department, made the announcement following the sentencing before United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

According to court documents and proceedings, in May of 2007, Stark was observed viewing pornography at his Reston, Virginia Verizon office. An employee who observed Stark’s conduct reported that he saw child pornography on one of Stark’s computer screens. Stark’s computers were then seized, and he was interviewed by Verizon security. During the interview, Stark admitted that he had been using newsgroups to download pornography that likely contained child sex abuse images. Verizon contacted detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department, who conducted a forensic examination of Stark’s computer. The examination revealed more than 1,000 images and video files containing child pornography. In addition, police recovered a disk from Stark’s workspace that contained edited home videos focusing mostly on young girls dressed in swimsuits, shorts, and dresses while they played at playgrounds, swimming pools, backyards, and other public locations. Pursuant to this information, Stark was arrested and a search warrant was executed at his Frederick, Maryland home. A preliminary forensic review of Stark’s computer revealed hundreds of additional images of child pornography.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Fairfax County Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Andrew McCormack, who is on detail from the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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