Child Pornography Charges Filed Against Silver Spring Man

SILVER SPRING, MD — Joseph Ruben Baer, 20, of Silver Spring, was taken into custody Friday following an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland.

According to the indictment, unsealed Friday, on April 18, Baer distributed video files depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys via a social media communication application.

In early 2024, a member of the FBI–Metropolitan Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online application in an undercover capacity because it used by some individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Baer sent a message to the agent, believing he was communicating with a pedophile, a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Baer expressed an interest in the sexual exploitation of prepubescent boys and later sent the undercover agent two video files via a social media app, authorities said. Those video files showed Baer masturbating while watching child pornography on a laptop computer.

On April 25, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Baer with one count of distribution of child pornography.

Investigators on Friday executed a search warrant at two residences connected to Baer in Silver Spring, and arrested him in the District of Columbia. Baer made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and has been ordered held without bond pending trial.

Distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.