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Maryland Man Indicted on Federal Child Sex Abuse Material Charges

A federal grand jury indicted David Lee Mangum, 29, of Frederick, Maryland, on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material and transferring obscene material to a minor, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland said.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 9:34 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 29, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ETUpdated Sep 10, 2026, 6:57 p.m. ET

A federal grand jury indicted David Lee Mangum, 29, of Frederick, Maryland, on five counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, and one count of possession of CSAM, according to the for the District of Maryland. The office said the indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes with Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service Office of Investigations and Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. According to the indictment, during 2025 and early 2026, Mangum used internet-based social media accounts to receive visual depictions of at least five minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On at least one occasion, the office said, Mangum sent one of the minor victims a video of himself engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A subsequent law enforcement search of Mangum's cellular phone revealed numerous other CSAM images, according to the office. The said Mangum previously pleaded guilty in October 2021 in Frederick County Circuit Court to three felony counts related to the filming, soliciting, and promoting of CSAM, and received a 10-year prison term with all but 18 months suspended. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; an indictment is not a finding of guilt, and Mangum is presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later proceeding. The office said that if convicted, Mangum faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for each count of receipt of CSAM, a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years for the possession charge, and a maximum of 10 years for transferring obscene material to a minor. The office noted that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, and that a federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The indictment was returned on , according to the for the District of Maryland's announcement of the indictment.

Earlier reports

Aug 20, 2026, 7:52 p.m. ET
Maryland Man Indicted on Federal Child Sex Abuse Charges
David Lee Mangum, 29, of Frederick, Maryland, was indicted on August 12, 2026, on federal charges related to child sex abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. The charges include five counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, and one count of possession of CSAM. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; the allegations remain undecided.
The indictment was announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office, which stated that Mangum allegedly used social media during 2025 and early 2026 to receive visual depictions of at least five minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to send one victim a video of himself engaged in such conduct. A subsequent search of his phone allegedly revealed additional CSAM images.
Mangum previously pleaded guilty in October 2021 in Frederick County Circuit Court to three felony counts related to filming, soliciting, and promoting CSAM, and received a 10-year prison term with all but 18 months suspended. If convicted, Mangum faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 40 years in prison for each receipt count, a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years for possession, and up to 10 years for transferring obscene material to a minor. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
Aug 20, 2026, 9:34 a.m. ETFirst report
Maryland Man Indicted on Federal Child Sex Abuse Charges
On August 12, 2026, official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland revealed that a federal grand jury indicted David Lee Mangum, 29, of Frederick, Maryland, on child sex abuse charges. Charges in an indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, alongside Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the Diplomatic Security Service and Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, announced that Mangum is charged with five counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, and one count of possession of CSAM. Official records state that during 2025 and early 2026, Mangum allegedly used social media accounts to receive visual depictions of at least five minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, sent a video of himself to a minor victim, and kept CSAM images on his cellular phone.
According to court records, Mangum previously pled guilty in October 2021 in Frederick County Circuit Court to three felony counts related to filming, soliciting, and promoting CSAM, receiving a 10-year prison term with all but 18 months suspended. On the new federal charges, statutory penalties include a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in prison for each receipt count, a mandatory minimum of 10 years and maximum of 20 years for possession, and a maximum of 10 years for transfer. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge if a conviction occurs.

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Revision history

Version 910 Sept 2026, 22:57current
Added the date the indictment was returned, 2026-08-12, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
Version 810 Sept 2026, 04:11
No change to the substance of the story; sources_cited now lists only the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland release that supports it.
Version 710 Sept 2026, 01:52
Added explicit statement that the case has not been resolved to satisfy the open matter warning.
Version 69 Sept 2026, 23:03
Added the full date (August 12, 2026) to the first paragraph. Clarified that the charges are undecided by stating 'the charges have not been decided in court' and 'this case is only at the charging stage'.
Version 54 Sept 2026, 10:23
Convicted Sex Offender Indicted on New Child Sex Abuse Charges
Version 422 Aug 2026, 07:53
Added the date 'August 12, 2026' to the first paragraph. The story already stated the matter is undecided, but I kept that language and added the date to satisfy the checks.
Version 321 Aug 2026, 14:53
Added the date 'Aug. 12, 2026' to the first paragraph and dek. Clarified that the matter is undecided by stating 'the charges have not been decided in court'.
Version 221 Aug 2026, 09:53
Maryland Man Indicted on Child Sex Abuse Charges
Version 120 Aug 2026, 23:41
First published.
Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:34current
First published.
Version 120 Aug 2026, 23:52current
First published.

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