BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced
John Andrew Blaes, age 49, of Parkville, Maryland, today to 27 years in
prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiracy to
produce child pornography and transporting a minor to engage in sexually
explicit conduct. Judge Bredar ordered that upon his release from
prison, Blaes must register as a sex offender in the place where he
resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the
Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, at some time prior to March 2010, Blaes and 37 year old co-conspirator Margaret Jones met online and became involved in a sexual relationship. Blaes used the Internet to recruit other women and girls into a bondage and sadistic sexual lifestyle.
On July 5, 2011, Blaes solicited a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him and Jones. Blaes and Jones knew that the victim was a vulnerable minor. Blaes and Jones sent pornographic pictures of themselves to the victim using the computer.
On July 22, 2011, Blaes and Jones traveled to the victim’s home in North Carolina to bring her to live with them in Parkville. After picking the victim up in North Carolina, Blaes and Jones sexually abused her in the back of their vehicle, including using bondage with ropes, chains, and clamps. The next day, Blaes and Jones rented a hotel room in North Carolina to have sex with the victim. Blaes and Jones used a camera to document the sexual abuse of the victim in the van and the hotel. The images include sadistic and masochistic conduct.
From July 22 to November 20, 2011, Blaes and Jones engaged in sex acts with the victim multiple times a week. Blaes also cut the victim and held lemons to her injuries. Blaes and Jones instructed the victim to keep the sexual conduct and her age a secret. The victim was kept in their residence or in their control at all times and was not enrolled in school.
Blaes and the co-conspirator used a camera and cell phones to photograph the victim in sexually explicit poses and their sexual abuse of the victim. Blaes distributed the sexually explicit images online to recruit other individuals.
Margaret Ellen Jones, of Parkville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2013, at 4:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, HSI Baltimore, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel M. Yasser and Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, at some time prior to March 2010, Blaes and 37 year old co-conspirator Margaret Jones met online and became involved in a sexual relationship. Blaes used the Internet to recruit other women and girls into a bondage and sadistic sexual lifestyle.
On July 5, 2011, Blaes solicited a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him and Jones. Blaes and Jones knew that the victim was a vulnerable minor. Blaes and Jones sent pornographic pictures of themselves to the victim using the computer.
On July 22, 2011, Blaes and Jones traveled to the victim’s home in North Carolina to bring her to live with them in Parkville. After picking the victim up in North Carolina, Blaes and Jones sexually abused her in the back of their vehicle, including using bondage with ropes, chains, and clamps. The next day, Blaes and Jones rented a hotel room in North Carolina to have sex with the victim. Blaes and Jones used a camera to document the sexual abuse of the victim in the van and the hotel. The images include sadistic and masochistic conduct.
From July 22 to November 20, 2011, Blaes and Jones engaged in sex acts with the victim multiple times a week. Blaes also cut the victim and held lemons to her injuries. Blaes and Jones instructed the victim to keep the sexual conduct and her age a secret. The victim was kept in their residence or in their control at all times and was not enrolled in school.
Blaes and the co-conspirator used a camera and cell phones to photograph the victim in sexually explicit poses and their sexual abuse of the victim. Blaes distributed the sexually explicit images online to recruit other individuals.
Margaret Ellen Jones, of Parkville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2013, at 4:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, HSI Baltimore, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel M. Yasser and Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
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