An Army National Guardsman from Maryland has pleaded guilty after investigators found more than 12,300 depictions of child pornography on his electronic devices, according to the Justice Department.
Daniel Morozewicz, 38, who also served as a police officer in Rockville, Maryland, made the plea Tuesday after being charged with possession of child porn. Law enforcement said that Morozewicz, while working for the National Guard and police department, used the BitTorrent file-sharing network to traffic in the illegal images between September 2020 and January 2021.
"During that time, Morozewicz repeatedly distributed child pornography to undercover law enforcement officers," the Justice Department statement added.
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On March 4, 2021, Morozewicz received a tip from "a commanding officer" that federal law enforcement officers wished to conduct an interview, court documents show. When law enforcement showed up the next day to execute a series of search warrants, Morozewicz was activated as a Guardsman at a vaccination site at the Six Flags America amusement park in Bowie, Maryland.
Among the evidence seized under the warrants, officials say they found a smartphone that had been recently factory reset and erased. The Guardsman "admitted that he discarded his computer in anticipation of a visit from law enforcement," the statement said.
"A forensic examination of Morozewicz's devices revealed that he possessed over 12,300 depictions of child pornography and erotica, including over 200 depicts involving the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and over 90 child pornographic images involving sado-masochistic conduct," the statement explained.
Court records show that Morozewicz was arrested on May 14, 2021, and released the same day with the conditions that he not leave Maryland; get mental health treatment; and stay away from any minors except his own child, among others. Documents filed with the court also note that prosecutors were hopeful to avoid trial with a plea deal weeks after the arrest.
Morozewicz was assigned to D Company of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment. Military.com reached out to a spokesman for the Maryland National Guard for more information about Morozewicz's service history but did not immediately hear back.
According to officials, Morozewicz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for his crime. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 8.
-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.
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