Carl Gage Linden, a 57-year-old man from Mount Rainier, Maryland, has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis for production of child pornography. The sentence will be followed by lifetime supervised release. Linden has also been ordered to pay a special assessment of $200, as well as restitution in the amount of $25,401 to the victims. Upon his release, Linden must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, works, and studies, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Linden was arrested on November 12, 2020, on charges of second-degree assault and third and fourth-degree sexual offenses after one of his victims found sexually explicit photos of herself on Linden’s phone. Upon further investigation, dozens of videos, photos, and images depicting the sexual abuse of two victims, who were between the ages of seven and eleven, were found on Linden’s laptop and cellular phone.
As part of his plea agreement on the federal charges, Linden also pleaded guilty to related sex abuse charges in Prince George’s County Circuit Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on March 22, 2023.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.
United States Attorney announced the sentence for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, Chief Linwood Alston of the Mount Rainier Police Department, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
In a statement, United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Mount Rainier Police Department, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin Cottingham and Kelly O. Hayes, who prosecuted the federal case.