Navy Employee Gets Prison For Child Pornography Offenses: DOJ

SILVER SPRING, MD — A Navy employee was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison Thursday for the production, transportation, and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Spencer E. Steckman, 36, was also ordered to a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence, to pay restitution of $120,000 to the victims, and to register as a sex offender.

The former Silver Spring resident pleaded guilty in June to producing, transporting, and possessing child pornography.

According to his plea agreement, Steckman persuaded at least 10 preteen and teenage boys to send photos and videos of their sexually explicit conduct.

"He employed a variety of tactics, including misrepresenting his identity, offering money and video game redemption codes, and encouraging the children to compete with others to produce and send the 'best' photos," the Justice Department said in a statement.

According to federal officials, Steckman also admitted to giving one of his victims cash and marijuana to engage in sexual activity with him.

In November 2017, Steckman took the child pornography to his new home in Japan, where worked with Commander Navy Region Japan.

"Further investigation revealed that Steckman had shared his child pornography, including images sent to him by the victims, with like-minded offenders, and that he stored most of his child pornography collection on an encrypted device," the Justice Department said.

Steckman was detained by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Japan on March 27, 2018, and taken back to Maryland. He has remained in custody since that time.