BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A former athletic director who served Baltimore County was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison in a child sex abuse case.
Authorities identified the former school official in a release as 34-year-old Dazhon Darien, who moved to Texas after living in Baltimore and working as the athletic director at Pikesville High School.
After the 20-year prison sentence is served, Darien will be under supervised release for an additional 30 years.
Darien previously made headlines after being found out as the person behind a viral AI-generated social media video that showed the then principal of Pikesville High School making racial and antisemitic remarks, The Banner reported.
Investigators determined that the child sex abuse at the center of the case occurred between April 2023 and June 2024, while Darien lived in Maryland.
Court documents highlighted five incidents in which Darien "persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced" a 15-year-old child to help produce sexually explicit content. He later used CashApp to pay the teenager.
Similar efforts were undertaken by Darien against seven other boys who were between the 14 and 17 years old. Investigators found the footage on internet-based accounts held by Darien.
Citing Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Budlow, The Banner reported that none of the teenagers were students at Pikesville High School.
Darien pleaded guilty in the case in August.
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