Pennsylvania Man Charged for Secretly Recording Boys in Maryland Restrooms

Allegedly Took Videos of Boys in Public Restrooms in Maryland without Their Knowledge

BALTIMORE—A federal grand jury has indicted Brian Matthew Williams, age 28, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, on charges of producing and possessing child pornography. The sealed indictment was returned on June 5, 2012. Williams was arrested last night at his home and the indictment was unsealed today.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Cecil County State’s Attorney Christopher Eastridge.

“The indictment alleges that the defendant egregiously violated the privacy of young boys by secretly recording them in public restrooms, a crime that gives every parent nightmares,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “I am grateful to the vigilant citizen who noticed the unusual behavior and immediately called 911 and to the police and prosecutors who conducted an urgent investigation.”

The three-count indictment alleges that Williams used the camera on his cell phone to produce two video files that depict two prepubescent minor males urinating and to capture images of one of the prepubescent minor male’s exposed penis. The indictment alleges that the videos were taken in a public rest room in Maryland without the knowledge of the minor victims. The indictment further alleges that Williams possessed several video files on a memory card that depicted a number of minor males urinating and captured images of their exposed penises without their knowledge in a public restroom.

Williams faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, followed by up to lifetime of supervised release, on each of the two counts for production of child pornography and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography. An initial appearance is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. today in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

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, Maryland State Police, and Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the case.