Pasadena Man Convicted For Conspiracy To Distribute And Receive Child Pornography

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Howard James Clem IV, a/k/a “Jamie,” age 33, of Pasadena, Maryland, late yesterday for conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, and for receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis ordered that Clem be immediately taken into custody.

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

According to the evidence presented at Clem’s six day trial, Clem met Erin Elizabeth Mali in a mobile social networking and dating application in September 2012.  Many of the communications exchanged by Mali and Clem, and images Mali sent to Clem focused on graphic sexual conduct involving prepubescent minors.  Mali sent Clem images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including a prepubescent female whom Mali and Clem identified by name.

According to witness testimony, on June 3, 2013, the social networking and dating application and website captured the images and communications exchanged by Mali and Clem, including child pornography, which caused a “cybertip” to be generated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  An investigation by the Anne Arundel County Police Department resulted in a search warrant being executed at Clem’s and Mali’s residences and on their social networking accounts.

As a result of his conviction, Clem will be required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Clem faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography and for each of two counts of receipt of child pornography; and a maximum of 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography, each followed by up to lifetime of supervised release.   U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis has scheduled sentencing for Clem on May 27, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.

Erin Elizabeth Mali, age 32, of Arnold, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, and to distribution of child pornography.  Mali is also detained and Judge Garbis has scheduled her sentencing for March 3, 2015, at 1:00 p.m.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.             

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Leo J. Wise, who are prosecuting the case.