Former Teacher Convicted on Child Porn Charges

A former Poplar Tree Elementary School teacher has been convicted in federal court of possessing child pornography. 

The jury found Robert Fenn, 27, guilty on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, at the end of a two-day trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Alexandria. 

Fenn was indicted in December by a federal grand jury, months after he was arrested. Authorities had conducted an international investigation dubbed Operation Gondola. 

The operation originated with Italian law enforcement, who investigated a website called "liberalmoraility.com" that offered access to child pornographic images and/or video files. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit obtained Internet records showing each Internet account that accessed the website and the specific images each account accessed.

The Justice Department said that authorities searched Fenn's Herndon home and found numerous videos and images of children enduring various forms of sexual abuse. 

Fenn had worked at Poplar Tree as a special education teacher for students in kindergarten through third grade. No students or equipment at the school were involved.

He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a June 21 sentencing.