Greenbelt, Maryland – Jeffrey Darnell Alderson, a 34-year-old resident of Waldorf, Maryland, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Paul Xinis. The sentence, announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, is a result of Alderson’s guilty plea for possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, Alderson will serve five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) upon his release.
According to court documents, Alderson came under scrutiny after a man was arrested in Philadelphia in January 2020 on charges related to the advertisement and sale of child sexual abuse material. Through social media and financial records, investigators identified Alderson as one of the customers of this individual. At the time of his arrest, Alderson was working as a Mission Support Specialist with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C.
Evidence presented during the case revealed that Alderson engaged in multiple conversations via messaging applications between September 2019 and January 2020, ultimately purchasing links to child sexual abuse material. These materials depicted the sexual abuse of minor boys, including prepubescent children. In October 2020, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Alderson’s online accounts, which uncovered communications with other users interested in child sexual abuse material, as well as visits to websites related to such content.
Subsequent investigations led to the execution of a search warrant on Alderson’s online storage account on March 4, 2021. This search yielded additional explicit images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Further evidence was obtained when FBI agents executed a search warrant at Alderson’s residence on May 13, 2021, where his cell phone was seized. The examination of the phone’s contents revealed chats discussing sexually explicit images and videos of children, as well as links to additional child sexual abuse material.
The child pornography found in Alderson’s possession involved prepubescent minors and even depicted the sexual abuse and exploitation of infants and toddlers. In total, over 100 videos and hundreds of images containing child pornography were discovered.
This case was handled as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI for their work in the investigation and extended his gratitude to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy F. Hagan, Jr. and Joel Crespo for prosecuting the federal case.
Project Safe Childhood, in collaboration with federal, state, and local resources, aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in sexually exploiting children and to provide support to victims. To learn more about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. The website also offers internet safety education resources under the “Resources” tab on the left side of the page.
As the sentencing of Jeffrey Darnell Alderson serves as a significant step in the fight against child sexual exploitation, it reinforces the commitment of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to protect vulnerable children and bring offenders to justice.
