U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. sentenced George Sell, age 70, of Cumberland, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to transport child pornography in connection with his role as a lead administrator of an online child pornography bulletin board. Judge Williams also sentenced co-conspirator Terry Lee Nolley, age 47, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 97 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for transporting child pornography and destruction of records in a federal investigation, in connection with his participation in the bulletin board as a web host and member. Judge Williams ordered that Sell and Nolley must register as sex offenders in the place where they reside, where they are employed, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel Cortez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division.
“The dismantling of “Country Lounge” is another stark warning to would-be child predators who think they can trade in child pornography and commit heinous acts against innocent children while hiding behind pseudonyms and other technological tricks,” said William Winter, special agent in charge of ICE HSI. “As these criminals try new techniques to digitally erase their trail, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations along with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners continue to upgrade our strategies and technology to track down the depraved individuals who bring suffering to children.”
According to their plea agreements, from December 2006 through August 2008, Sell, Nolley and others conspired to operate “Country Lounge,” a secure web-based bulletin board dedicated to trading images of child pornography. Members could join this group only upon invitation and after approval by the group’s administrators, including Sell. To obtain access to the bulletin board, members needed a log-in username and password. Members were instructed by a specific set of rules and guidelines on how to post images via “Country Lounge” to avoid detection from law enforcement. As of August 2008, 142 members belonged to the bulletin board, which was hosted on computer servers in Virginia and Texas. In October 2008, the bulletin board was seized by law enforcement authorities.
From December 2006 through July 2008, Sell was the “root administrator” and day-to-day manager of “Country Lounge,” while Nolley agreed to host “Country Lounge” on computer servers maintained by him in Silver Spring. Sell conspired with other individuals to take control of “Country Lounge” from its former owner and administrator, directed the creation and operation of a new “Country Lounge,” and received technical advice and assistance from co-conspirators to obtain his goal of creating and operating “Country Lounge.” Sell directed the daily management of “Country Lounge,” including direction over its layout and content, membership, and the “rules” of the board. In addition to hosting the board, Nolley assisted Sell with the creation and maintenance of “Country Lounge.” After July 2008,
