West Chester Man Charged With Child Porn Possession, Other Crimes

WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office said a West Chester man has been charged after investigators found him in possession of thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse, fake military credentials, and an unauthorized loaded handgun.

Carlin Alexander, 32, of West Chester, is charged with multiple counts of dissemination and possession of child pornography, misrepresentation of military service or honors, tampering with physical evidence, firearms possession by an unauthorized person, and other offenses.

Chester County Detectives also recovered a loaded Ruger handgun, forged military papers, and other contraband when they executed a search warrant at his West Chester residence, according to the D.A.'s Office.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said, "We are seeing far too many cases of child sexual abuse in Chester County, including child pornography, and the people who engage in these horrific criminal acts will be prosecuted to the fullest. These child victims were sexually abused and now those images are used to re-offend and re-traumatize these innocent victims."

An investigation in partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) ended in charges on Aug. 13. Chester County Detectives and West Chester Police began earlier this year looking into information the ICAC Task Force received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the D.A.'s Office reported.

During their investigation, Chester County Detectives received information indicating that Alexander was in possession of numerous images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. When investigators obtained a warrant and searched Alexander's home on S. Church Street in West Chester Borough, among the items recovered, were a cell phone, tablet, laptop, hard drives, and computer equipment, the D.A.'s report said.

Detectives found that a number of the items seized had been remotely reset to factory settings, the report said.

Nevertheless, the Chester County Computer Forensic Unit retrieved thousands of child pornography images from the recovered devices. Further information indicated that the defendant was disseminating child sexual abuse materials as well, according to the D.A.'s report.

Investigators allegedly also recovered a loaded gun that the defendant could not legally possess, the report said.

Investigators took forged military service documents as evidence in the case, the report said. One allegedly showed a dishonorable discharge as a private in the U.S. Marines, while another showed an honorable discharge as a Marine corporal. A Marine dress uniform with a rank of sergeant was displayed in the defendant’s living room, the report stated.

Ryan said, "The defendant not only distributed and possessed child sexual abuse materials but dishonored our U.S. military by forging military service documents in an attempt to cover up a dishonorable discharge. We will get justice."

The defendant was arraigned before District Court Judge Marian Vito and is being held at Chester County Prison on $130,000 cash bail, the D.A.'s Office reported. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20, according to court records.

Alexander is also facing a DUI highest BAC charge from June, court records show.

The ICAC Task Force is funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), based in Washington. ICAC provides resources for the investigation of the exploitation of children on the Internet. The ICAC Task Force in Chester County is comprised of Chester County Detectives, as well as investigators from local municipalities.

Chester County Detectives are still investigating. Christine Abatemarco is the assigned prosecutor.
Chester County Detectives asks anyone with more information about this case to call 610-344-6866.

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