Area Man Sentenced for Child Porn Possession

A Chillum man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child pornagraphy. 

According to court documents, 28-year-old Daniel Cardwell, who lives on Chillum Road, used a file sharing program to distribute approximately 1,300 digital files containing child pornography between Oct. 4, 2010 and May 4, 2010. 

On at least three occasions, Cardwell's images were downloaded by undercover officers with the Maryland State Police. Then, after obtaining Cardwell's identity, state police executed a search warrant at his house on May 10, 2010 where discovered 57 videos showing children in sexually explicit situations, along with thousands of images on Cardwell's computer. 

Today in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Cardwell was sentenced to 77 months in prison by Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Following Cardwell's release, he will have to register as a sex offender. 

The investigation was conducted as part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Operation Predator, and the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, which both aim to bring more resources to bear to prosecute sex offenders.