Maryland Resident Receives 60-Year Sentence For Releasing Child Porn in Dark Web

Christopher Michael Salisbury, a 38-year-old Maryland resident, received a 60-year prison sentence for abusing young girls from ages 4 to 13.

The Maryland US Attorney’s Office revealed that Salisbury proceeded to videotape the sexual harassment of at least two underaged girls and distributed the compilation footage in the dark web.

Maryland US Attorney Rod Rosenstein described the actions of Salisbury as “horrendous,” mostly due to the fact that the sexual harassment of young girls went on for an extended period.

Prosecutors of the case also stated that Salisbury used the Tor network and the darknet to carry out anonymous conversations with other potential partners. Salisbury intended to conceal his conversations with other child pornography producers or distributors.

“[Salisbury used Tor and dark web to] facilitate anonymous communication and hide his child pornography activity,” said prosecutors.

In a strange turn of events, the court also revealed that it was the footage of Salisbury engaging in a sexual act with an underaged girl which was found in the computer of former Glee actor Mark Salling, who was alleged for the possession of child pornography.

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Court documents further revealed that Salisbury admitted to the possession of over 50,000 images of child pornography and his extended involvement in the underground child pornography industry.

In consideration of of Salisbury’s long-term illicit operations in the dark web, Judge George Russell III gave Salisbury the maximum sentence of 60 years on top of a US$250,000 fine.

After the sentencing of Salisbury, US Attorney Rosenstein expressed his concerns with the distribution of child pornography on the darknet and darknet marketplaces. He stated that is more difficult for law enforcement agencies to track down child pornography distributors on the darknet.

Even in this case, investigators and the law enforcement weren’t able to find evidences to prove that Salisbury distributed child pornography on the darknet. Investigators later discovered after Salibury’s plea in court that he indeed distributed the images of his possession after some of them were found in the computer of Salling.

In reaction to the law enforcement’s struggle in forming a connection with Salisbury and his online aliases, Rosenstein stated, “it makes it much more challenging for law enforcement.”

As for former Glee actor Mark Salling, whose connection with Salisbury and his darknet operation has been demonstrated by his possession of Salisbury’s collection of child pornography, Salling is facing up to 20 years in prison.

The initial hearing of Salling was scheduled to be heard in the first week of November but was delayed indefinitely after Salling requested sufficient time to consult a computer forensic expert. However, based on the sheer volume of child pornography possessed by Salling on his computer and thumb drives, it is highly likely that he will receive a sentence in the federal court.