Man Pleads Guilty to the Sexual Abuse of a Two-Year-Old and a Seven-Year-Old Child in Order to Produce Images of the Abuse | OPA

A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, in connection with his sexual abuse of two minor children.

According to court documents, Brian Anthony Gilbert, 33, of District Heights, uploaded and advertised at least two video files of child pornography depicting an approximately seven-year-old female victim (Victim 1) on an online bulletin board dedicated to child pornography. The videos were approximately 10 minutes and 15 minutes in length and depicted sexual acts between Gilbert and Victim 1. In Gilbert’s posts on the online bulletin board, Gilbert admits to having produced both videos.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on Sept. 11, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Gilbert’s residence. Gilbert was in the residence at the time. Gilbert waived his rights and agreed to speak to law enforcement. Gilbert advised law enforcement that approximately five times between January 2019 and August 2020, Gilbert video recorded sexual acts between himself and Victim 1 in Gilbert’s bedroom and at Victim 1’s residence. He also stated that he had video recorded sexual acts between himself and another victim, who was approximately two-years old (Victim 2) at the time. Gilbert told law enforcement that he distributed the child sex abuse material that he produced on the Tor network, a computer network that is designed specifically to facilitate anonymous communication over the internet.

During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement also seized a number of electronic devices from Gilbert’s bedroom. A subsequent forensic analysis of Gilbert’s electronic devices revealed over 2,000 files depicting child pornography. Among those files were six videos of Gilbert engaging in sexual acts with Victim 1 and Victim 2 in Gilbert’s bedroom or in Victim 1’s residence. Some of the child pornography located on Gilbert’s devices included pre-pubescent children under the age of 12 as well as sadistic or masochistic conduct, including the use of instruments or tools on children, and sexual acts between adults and children. 

Gilbert faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for each of the two counts of production of child pornography and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner of the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of Prince George’s County Police Department made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Prince George’s County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin of the District of Maryland and Trial Attorneys Alicia Bove and Jessica Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.