Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Charles Victor Kopfstein-Penk, age 74, of Bethesda, Maryland, with possession of child pornography.  Kopfstein-Penk, a music teacher who gave lessons out of his home, was arrested earlier this year on related state charges. 

The federal indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to the indictment, Kopfstein-Penk possessed images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.  The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of any property traceable to profits from the offense or used to commit the offense, including a desk top computer and five external hard drives.

Anyone who may have information about possible victims or details related to the investigation of Charles Victor Kopfstein-Penk is asked to contact the Maryland Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-637-5437.

If convicted, Kopfstein-Penk faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.  Kopfstein-Penk had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI, the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajeev Raghavan and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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