Baltimore County man charged in suspected International porn ring
A 34-year-old man from northern Baltimore County is among 72 people charged this week with participating in an international child pornography ring that federal authorities say traded in tens of thousands of illicit images.
The Associated Press, citing immigration officials, named the suspect as Desmond Meredith, of the 21000 block of York Road in Freeland. He faces several charges including sexual exploitation of children and engaging in child pornography. He was indicted by a grand jury in Shreveport, La.
Court documents show the indictment was returned in October and unsealed on Wednesday, when law enforcement authorities in Washington announced the investigation, called Operation Delego, and made arrests in more than a half-dozen states.
Prosecutors said the suspects were part of a members-only Internet club called Dreamboard which they said had 600 members around the world. Court documents show numerous participants are accused of sexually abusing children, producing images and videos and sharing them with other club members.
Meredith was originally indicted in October as John Doe #7, with a Internet name of “Beast.” Subsequent court documents, made public on Wednesday, identify him by name.
The indictment alleges that June 2009, and February and November 2010, he posted advertisements on Dreamboard offering to distribute computer files containing child pornography. One file, according to the indictment, was called, “Set of pictures labeled BD Young Strawberry,” and another was titled, “Angelica & Friends.”
Baltimore County police in 2004 charged Meredith with several counts of burglary and theft, and he was found not criminally responsible for the crimes. Court records show that he was committed to psychiatric care at Spring Grove Hospital and released in 2005.
Meredith’s attorney, Stephen A. Glassell, based in Shreveport, La., did not return calls seeking comment this morning.
