Man Posing As Modeling Agent Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charges

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Rockville man who posed as a female modeling agent to get sexually explicit images from underage girls pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 20, to federal child pornography charges.

Stephen McGrath, 44, will face a minimum of 10 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison for enticement of a minor in order to produce child pornography, prosecutors said. McGrath could also face up to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography. He is expected to be sentenced on March 29, 2019, at 1 p.m.

From June 16 to Oct. 9, 2017, McGrath said he communicated with six girls between the ages of 12 and 16 through MeetMe and KIK, two internet-based messaging applications. McGrath, who posed as a female modeling agent, confirmed the girls' ages and asked them to send sexually explicit photographs as part of their "modeling evaluation," prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. attorney's office in Maryland, McGrath also admitted to distributing the photos, which included nude and explicit images, to two of the 14-year-old victim's male friends.

On Oct. 13, 2017, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at McGrath's home and seized his cell phone, prosecutors said. Officers said they found more than 600 images of child pornography, including photos of the victims, on the phone.

Under his plea agreement, McGrath 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 the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Image via Shutterstock

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