Federal officials say he had nearly 500 images depicting sexual abuse of infants.
Baltimore, Md. (KM) – A previously convicted sex offender is going off to prison for a long time. In US District Court in Baltimore on Thursday, Jason Wade Harley, 48, of Frederick was sentenced to more than 11 years incarceration for possession of child pornography. That will be followed by 25 years of supervised released. Harley was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution. .
The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland says an investigation into Harley’s activities began on February 24th, 2020, after the Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported four suspected child pornographic images being uploaded on the internet, including images of sexual abuse of infants and prepubescent minors. That upload was linked to Harley’s account.
On August, 24, 2020, investigators served a search and seizure warrant on Harley’s home where they found a SIM card on a cell phone that contained two videos of children engaging in sexual activity, and 499 images of child pornography that depicted sexual abuse of infants and prepubescent minors. On that same day, federal officials say, Harley admitted that he sent images of child pornography to online accounts and that he had sexual fantasies involving children.
The US Attorney’s Office also says investigators executed search warrants on Harley’s online accounts, and found one with 11 additional images of child pornography, and conversations between Harley and another reuse. In his online communications, Harley said he had 260 pictures and 130 videos of child pornography in a hidden vault. He also expressed his interest in sexual abuse of children.
The case was brought about as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the US Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation, and abuse. It works with federal, state and local officials to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. It’s led by local US Attorneys’ Office and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
By Kevin McManus