Man Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charge After Previous Conviction

SILVER SPRING, MD — A Silver Spring man has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after spending nearly a decade in prison for a previous child pornography conviction.

John Michael Raley, 51, was first convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography in 2012, according to the U.S. Justice Department. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and released on Feb. 15, 2019.

On March 27, 2019, during a court-ordered polygraph test, Raley told officials that he gave his personal effects, including a digital memory card, to someone for safekeeping while in prison. The SD card, according to the Justice Department, "contained images and videos of child pornography, which Raley had viewed three to four times since his release from prison."

A search warrant was obtained for the SD card and a forensic examination was performed by an FBI examiner. Officials said it contained "thousands of images of child pornography, including boys under the age of 12 and depictions of sadistic conduct and violence."

Raley pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography in late January, and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Raley is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24.