Pasco Allen Jr.
A Berlin man will serve at least one year in jail for distributing child pornography.
According to a news release, on April 4, Pasco L. Allen, Jr., 75, was convicted of distribution of child pornography and sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Brian D. Shockley to five years of incarceration with all but one year suspended. The court placed Allen on three years of supervised probation upon his release and ordered him to register as Tier II sex offender for a period of 25 years. Allen must also submit a DNA sample.
The charges stem from a cybertip sent by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the Maryland State Police last fall. The cybertip provided evidence of the possession of child pornography by a reported user, which investigators used to trace back to Allen’s residence.
Maryland State Police investigators obtained a search warrant for Allen’s cell phone, which they seized in August of 2023. Digital forensics examiners with the Maryland State Police extracted data from Allen’s phone, and were able to determine that in June of 2023, Allen had sent a saved image of child pornography to another individual using Facebook.
Allen was subsequently charged with knowingly distributing child pornography and related offenses.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser thanked members of the NCMEC, the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and the Maryland State Police sergeant who worked the case for their efforts to hold online predators accountable. Heiser also thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Mary-Ann Burkhart who prosecuted the case.