Crime & Safety
FBI Agents Found Device Storing Child Pornography In Toilet During A Search: Authorities
A judge convicted a Round Hill man after authorities said he tried to flush a storage device that contained child pornography.
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A man from Round Hill was convicted of receiving child pornography and attempting to destroy evidence, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Authorities said the man tried to destroy a storage device containing child pornography by breaking it in half, dunking it in liquid for a 3D printer, and flushing it down the toilet.
Prosecutors identified the man as 35-year-old Max Christain Frear. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26. He could face up to 20 years in prison, based on federal sentencing guidelines.
Investigators claimed that Frear received child pornography from November 2019 through January 2022. When FBI agents searched Frear's home, they found a damaged computer storage device in a toilet, according to court records.
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The device had been dumped in liquid for a 3D printer, broken in half, and Frear tried to flush it down the toilet, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The FBI was still able to access the files on the device, which included dozens of videos and thousands of images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Some of the children depicted were toddlers and infants, authorities said.
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Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office are handling the case as part of a Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice "to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," according to a news release. The project began in 2006, and focuses on prosecuting people who use the internet to sexually exploit children. The project also works to identify and rescue victims of sexual abuse.
Resources are available for people who are victims of sexual exploitation and violence. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation hosts an array of resources for victims and their families on their website.
A hotline for child victims can be reached at 1-800-25ABUSE. Further resources can be obtained from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.
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