Caleb Andrew Bailey, 30, of Waldorf–a Maryland delegate for GOP presumptive nominee Donald J. Trump–was charged with child pornography, illegal possession of a machine gun, and illegally transporting explosives.
Greenbelt, MD – Caleb Andrew Bailey, age 31, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday, May 15 to illegal possession of unregistered machine guns, unregistered short-barreled rifles, unregistered destructive devices, and possession of child pornography charges.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Postal Inspector in Charge Robert B. Wemyss of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.
According to the plea agreement, on May 5, 2016, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) Special Agents executed federal search warrants at adjoining properties in Waldorf, Maryland associated with the Defendant. At the Defendant’s residence, law enforcement located, among other items, an underground bunker containing machine guns, machine gun manufacturing parts and devices, firearms, explosives, unregistered short-barreled rifles and destructive devices; covert recording devices; and child pornography on electronic devices seized inside and outside the residence, including one electronic device located within the underground bunker and other items moved from the Defendant’s bedroom at his residence and hidden in the woods by a minor victim at the direction of Bailey. At his parents’ residence, in the Defendant’s bedroom, law enforcement recovered an electronic device that contained internet searches indicative of child pornography.
During the execution of the search warrant on May 5, 2016, a 17-year-old minor was present at Bailey’s residence. The minor admitted that Bailey instructed the minor to remove a Panasonic Toughbook laptop, a Sony camera, and a Seagate external hard drive from Bailey’s residence and cover them with leaves by a footbridge in the woods behind the residence. Law enforcement recovered these items.
On May 17, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations conducted a forensic analysis of Bailey’s electronic devices. The forensic analysis revealed that Bailey used hidden cameras to surreptitiously record videos of the victims in the bathroom of Bailey’s recreational vehicle, with the focus of those videos on the victims’ genitals. Bailey also physically transported the hidden cameras outside of Maryland to various hotels at which he stayed with the victims while competing in ATV races. In total, Bailey recorded over 100 videos capturing the genitals of the victims between March 2014 and January 2016. Bailey also created screen captures of portions of some of the videos that Bailey recorded of the victims. The screen captures depict the victims nude with their genitals exposed. Bailey saved these videos and video screen captures on the Seagate hard drive recovered during the execution of the search warrant at the Defendant’s residence on May 5, 2016. The forensic analysis also revealed that Bailey possessed other images and videos of child pornography on various electronic devices, including a hard drive located within his bunker, that do not appear to have been produced by him, including depictions of prepubescent minors and depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct involving minors (bondage). Bailey’s collection of child pornography included more than 280 images and 54 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
As part of his plea agreement, Bailey 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 (SORNA).
Bailey and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Bailey will be sentenced to between 120 and 324 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for November 30, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended ATF Baltimore Field Division, HSI Baltimore, U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division and Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Sykes, Kristi N. O’Malley, and Thomas P. Windom, who are prosecuting the case.
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UPDATE 4:00 pm – We can now confirm that Caleb Andrew Bailey, 30, of Waldorf, Maryland is a GOP delegate for Donald Trump. Bailey’s father was the former vice chair of the Maryland Republican Party.
The Trump campaign vehemently disavowed Bailey after being apprised of the indictment.
“We strongly condemn these allegations and leave it in the capable hands of law enforcement,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. “He will be replaced immediately.”
Representatives for Bailey declined to comment.
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted Caleb Andrew Bailey, age 30, of Waldorf, Maryland late yesterday on various charges.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Frank Riehl of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.
According to the four count indictment and court documents, on February 18, 2016, postal police and postal inspectors responded to a postal facility in Capital Heights, Maryland and recovered ammunition and explosives from a package that had ruptured open. ATF was notified by the postal inspectors and responded to evaluate the contents of the package. The contents of the package included 119 rounds of reloaded .50 caliber cartridges with M48A1 incendiary projectiles, and 200 rounds of 14.5mm M183A1 spotting projectiles which contain an explosive charge. The package was addressed to an individual in Wisconsin.
According to court documents, on February 25 and March 3, 2016, the U.S. Postal Service customer service received calls from a person who identified himself by a false name in the first call, and then identified himself as Caleb Bailey in the second call. The caller provided the tracking number for the package recovered by ATF, and advised that the package had not yet been delivered. Neither Bailey nor the individual to whom the package was addressed had a federal explosives license to transport the explosives contained in the package.
According to court documents, law enforcement arranged to meet with Bailey at a postal facility on May 5, 2016, for the stated purpose of having Bailey provide information regarding the missing package in person. Bailey did not appear at the agreed meeting time and place. That day, law enforcement executed federal search warrants at adjoining properties associated with Bailey, including his residence, and seized a machine gun. The indictment alleges that Bailey illegally possessed a machine gun on May 5.
The indictment further alleges that from March 2015 to January 2016, Bailey attempted to use and did use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce child pornography. The indictment also alleges that Bailey possessed child pornography.
Bailey faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for unlawful transport of explosives by a non-licensee and for illegal possession of a machine gun; a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for production and attempted production of child pornography; and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography. A criminal complaint was filed on May 6, 2016 charging Bailey with unlawful transport of explosives. Bailey is detained pending a detention hearing on May 24, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, at which time his initial appearance is also scheduled.
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.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended ATF- Arson and Explosives Group for the Baltimore Field Division, HSI Baltimore, U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division and Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Sykes and Thomas P. Windom, who are prosecuting the case.