Child Porn Suspect Pleads Guilty, Awaits Prison Sentence: Prosecutors

CATONSVILLE, MD — A Catonsville man pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, prosecutors announced recently.

The Department of Justice identified the suspect as 50-year-old Steven Christopher Kelban.

This is Kelban's third child porn case, a March 25 press release announcing the guilty plea said.

The prosecution said Kelban was convicted of possession of obscene matter of persons under 17 in Shelby County, Alabama in 2015 and distribution of child pornography in Baltimore County in 2016.

The DOJ said Kelban was released from prison in Alabama on Nov. 20, 2023, and returned to Maryland.

He registered as a sex offender in Maryland on Nov. 21, 2023, and listed an address in Baltimore County, the release said.

Prosecutors said the Baltimore County Police Department conducted an online investigation of the BitTorrent network on Nov. 28, 2023, to find offenders sharing child pornography.

The DOJ said officers found an IP address associated with a torrent that contained over 2,000 files, including at least one file of suspected child pornography.

The IP address was connected to the home where Kelban registered as a sex offender a week prior, the release said.

Kelban faces a minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2025, at 11 a.m.