District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison For Distributing Child Pornography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Defendant Expressed a Desire to Sexually Abuse Children

            WASHINGTON – Alexus Camero, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Cameron pleaded guilty on February 14, 2023.

            According to court documents, in August of 2021, Camero met an individual online whom he believed was the father of a nine-year-old boy. In reality, this individual was a law enforcement officer, acting in an undercover capacity. Camero exchanged several messages with the undercover officer, and he expressed an interest in sexually abusing the child. At one point during this online chat, Camero asked the undercover officer if he and a friend could borrow the child for a night. 

            Throughout the course of this exchange, Camero sent the undercover two videos depicting the sexual abuse of very young children. On November 30, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Camero’s residence. When interviewed by law enforcement, the defendant admitted to chatting with the undercover and to distributing videos that depicted the sexual abuse of young boys. The defendant also admitted that he had additional videos depicting child pornography saved on his cell phone. Law enforcement recovered Camero’s cellular telephone and found at several images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children confirmed that some of the children depicted in these images have been identified and rescued by law enforcement.

            Following his prison term, Camero will be place on supervised release for 15 years and must register as a sex offender for a period of 25 years. He will be ordered to pay restitution to the minor victims who are depicted in the child sex abuse images and videos that he distributed and possessed. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting SAC Odom, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of the agents and detectives who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S, Attorneys Amy Larson and Rachel Forman who investigated and prosecuted the case.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.