Maryland sex offender sentenced to prison for receiving child pornography

BALTIMORE – A Maryland man was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by supervised release for life, for receiving child pornography. These charges stem from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Elkton Office of the Division of Parole and Probation, and the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes against Children Unit.

Mark Kahl, 50, of Perry Point, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake, who ordered that upon his release from prison, Kahl must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Kahl has two previous convictions for sexually abusing children.

According to his plea agreement, in 1989 Kahl was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court of the sexual abuse of young boys. In September 1997, Kahl was convicted in Calvert County Circuit Court of the sexual abuse of two young teenage boys and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Kahl was paroled in January 2011.

On April 12, 2011, Kahl participated in a polygraph examination as part of the conditions of his parole and probation. During the polygraph and in a post-polygraph interview, Kahl admitted that he had recently viewed child pornography. A subsequent forensic examination of Kahl's computer revealed 10 images of young males displaying their genitals, which Kahl had downloaded from the internet on March 26 or 27, 2011. The forensic review also revealed that Kahl had conducted internet searches for child pornography.

As a result of this discovery, Kahl's parole was revoked and he is currently serving the remaining seven years of his state sentence.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, "I want to commend the job done by all the law enforcement officers involved in this case, but especially the officers of the Elkton Office of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation. They not only brought Mr. Kahl to the attention of federal authorities, but they revoked his state parole to get this predator off the streets. He will now serve an additional 15 years in federal prison."

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O'Malley.