2 Child Pornography Cases Lead To Prison Sentences For Howard County Men: Prosecutor

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A Columbia man and a Laurel man have been sentenced for possessing child pornography in two separate cases.

In separate cases, 30-year-old Peter Matthew Harman of Columbia faces one year of prison and five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty Feb. 6 to three counts of possessing child pornography. On March 15, 2022, detectives from the Howard County Police Department followed up on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of a file uploaded that contained child sexual abuse material. Their investigation led them to Harman.

A search warrant was obtained and executed, and a forensic examination was completed on Harman's phone and three other electronic items seized during the execution of the search warrant. More than 1,000 photos and videos depicting child pornography were recovered from the electronic devices that were seized, according to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office.

Hayk Manukyan, 23, of Laurel, also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He has been sentenced to 25 years suspend all but three years, according to prosecutors.