Carroll County Twins Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A judge on Friday sentenced twin brothers to federal prison for possession of child pornography, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Hampstead residents Matthew Curtis and Tyler Curtis, ages 24, received 10-year sentences, followed by 18 years and 17 years of supervised release, respectively.
Both Curtis brothers were convicted in 2017 of child pornography-related charges in the Circuit Court of Carroll County, prosecutors said.
Matthew Curtis was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and three years' probation after being convicted of possession of child pornography. He had to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Tyler Curtis was previously convicted of the promotion and distribution of child pornography and had to register as a sex offender.
"Thankfully, the Curtis brothers will spend the next decade in federal prison for their extensive and disturbing conduct." stated United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. "This office will continue to aggressively protect our children and relentlessly prosecute those who perpetuate child exploitation."
Matthew Curtis pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 and admitted that, between November 2019 and May 2020, he downloaded "depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct" and distributed them online.
While executing a search warrant, authorities seized two of Matthew Curtis' cell phones. Investigators later found 429 images and 129 videos of child pornography on the devices, prosecutors said.
Tyler Curtis told investigators he had not looked at child pornography following his conviction and did not have a cell phone, but authorities found a phone at the bottom of his dresser, prosecutors said.
There were 115 images and 137 videos of child pornography on the phone, prosecutors said, including some "images of prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adult men" and at least two videos of infants being sexually abused, prosecutors said.
Authorities later accessed a hosting service account belonging to Tyler Curtis with 185 images and 10 videos of child pornography uploaded online.