Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced To Over 12 Years In Prison For Interstate Travel To Engage In Sex With A Minor

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Scott Odham, age 49, of Laurel, Delaware, today to 150 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for traveling across state lines to engage in sex with a minor. Odham is a previously convicted sex offender, including a 2001 conviction in Carroll County for child abuse and indecent exposure.  Judge Blake ordered that upon his release from prison, Odham must 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).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland  Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Colonel Nathaniel McQueen, Jr. of the Delaware State Police; and Somerset County State’s Attorney Dan Powell.

According to Odham’s plea agreement, from 2010 through April 2011, Odham sent repeated and frequent Facebook and MySpace messages, some of which were sexually explicit, to over 50 high school and middle school females that lived in the Western Maryland area.  On April 16, 2011, Odham became Facebook “friends” with AS, a 19 year old female from Princess Anne, Maryland.  The two decided to meet and began a sexual relationship. On April 22, 2011, a 14 year old middle school girl went to visit AS during her spring break and stayed at AS’s home.  That night, AS and the minor female drank alcohol together and sent pictures of themselves in bathing suits by telephone to Odham. The next day, AS left the 14 year old female alone while she attended a family event in Delaware.  Odham knew that the girl was in the home alone and he traveled from his home in Delaware, to the Princess Anne home where he engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the 14 year old.

On June 1, 2011, Odham sent an inappropriate text message to the 14 year old, who was in school at the time.  The message was seen by her science teacher and subsequently by her principal, who reported the contact to police.  The 14 year old was interviewed by authorities and described Odham’s visit to the Princess Anne home.  The victim stated that Odham offered to pay her to take off her clothes and asked her to watch porn with him.  When the victim declined his advances, Odham grabbed her by the hair and demanded oral sex.  A state search warrant for Odham’s home and an arrest warrant for Odham were subsequently obtained and executed.  Numerous pornographic pictures were found on Odham’s phone, including photos of Odham’s penis and sexually explicit photographs of AS and the 14 year old victim.

Odham previously pleaded guilty to state charges of escape and to perverted practices stemming from a video he made, and entered an Alford plea to third degree sex abuse. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. Following his conviction, Odham was sent to the Western Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland.  From jail, Odham sent threatening letters to the Maryland State Trooper who investigated his case and to the minor female.

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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.              

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the HSI Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, Delaware State Police and Somerset County State’s Attorney‘s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.