Former Special Education Aide Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

 Served as Administrator of Online Community Interested in Sexual Abuse of Children While Working as Middle School Aide

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Peter Na’Shon Greer, age 42, of Laurel, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for distribution of child pornography.  Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Greer must register as a sex offender in the places 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 Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his guilty plea, Greer has been involved in the receipt and distribution of child pornography, specifically, as a member and then administrator of an online chat group that focused on the sexual exploitation of children. During the time of the offense, Greer was employed as a middle school special education aide.

In August 2018, investigators from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began an investigation into a chat group on an online mobile application. The investigation revealed that users in the chat group were distributing child pornography, posting messages or commenting on child pornography images or videos, and expressing a sexual interest in children.  Greer was a member of this chat group and posted video files of child pornography on at least four occasions in March and April 2019.  Between March and June 10, 2019, Greer also posted comments on sexually explicit videos documenting the sexual abuse of children and responded to comments posted by other members of the chat group.  

In June 2019, the chat group was shut down by the application. Shortly thereafter, the chat group started again under a different name and Greer again joined the chat group.  On August 1, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Greer’s residence. During the search, investigator’s seized Greer’s mobile phone, which was subsequently found to have the chat group application in a hidden folder, protected by a password.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Greer admitted that he distributed child pornography and that he was an administrator of the chat group, as well as of other sexually based chat groups, including those dedicated to BDSM and incest.  Further, Greer advised that he is part of a group of people who pretend to be minors online, as a form of role playing.

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 Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.         

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.