Steven Christopher Kelban, a 50-year-old resident of Catonsville, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. The Baltimore County Police Department identified Kelban as a suspect during an online investigation into the BitTorrent network's trafficking of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes, Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
Kelban has two prior convictions related to child pornography: possession of obscene matter involving persons under 17 in Shelby County, Alabama in 2015, and distribution of child pornography in Baltimore County, Maryland in 2016.
After being released from imprisonment in Alabama on November 20, 2023, Kelban returned to Maryland and registered as a sex offender on November 21, listing his address in Baltimore County. A week later, an online investigation by the Baltimore County Police linked his IP address to over 2000 files on BitTorrent that included suspected child pornography. Investigators downloaded these files directly from Kelban's residence.
Kelban faces a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of twenty years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project coordinates federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the efforts of the FBI and BCPD investigators involved in this case and acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood for prosecuting it.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources provided by the Department of Justice, visit www.justice.gov/psc.