Justin Michael Peterson, 28, pleaded guilty in the District of Maryland to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography on Aug. 30, 2022.
According to court documents, in January 2020, Peterson used Instagram to video chat with a child and entice the child to perform sexual acts. Peterson used special software to record those chats and distributed the recordings to another minor child with whom Peterson had been exchanging sexually explicit messages on Kik and Snapchat. During his chats with the second child, Peterson discussed his interest in travelling to the victim’s home to kidnap them.
After his arrest in February 2020, Peterson admitted to law enforcement that he is sexually attracted to children as young as three years old. Peterson’s phone contained hundreds of images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers and infants. Forensic examination of Peterson’s phone also revealed that he actively participated in several online chat groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children and distributing child sexual abuse material. Peterson also posted messages to these groups offering to “rent” one of the minor victims as a “cam slave.”
Peterson was previously convicted in Maryland in 2016 for distributing child pornography and was required to register as a sex offender at the time of his offences.
In addition to serving 35 years in prison, Peterson was sentenced to 30 years of supervised release years and 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).
