Defendant Distributed Child Sex Abuse Material in an Online Group 

May 19, 2023 – WASHINGTON – Shemara Shay Mack-Smith, 42, of Accokeek Maryland, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison, to be followed by 120 months of supervised release for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Crime Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to the prison term and supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Mack-Smith to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the minor victims in the case.

According to court documents, in late April of 2020, a concerned citizen reported to law enforcement that he met Mack-Smith at a friend’s house in the District of Columbia.  Mack-Smith showed him child pornography, and she told him that she was sexually attracted to children.  This concerned citizen also informed law enforcement that, while exchanging messages with Mack-Smith, she sent him several videos depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as toddlers. 

During the course of the ongoing investigation, in early May of 2023, Mack-Smith distributed several images of child pornography to a law enforcement officer, acting in an undercover capacity.  A search warrant was executed at Mack-Smith’s residence on May 8, 2020.  Numerous digital devices belonging to Mack-Smith, including an Apple iPhone 11, were recovered by law enforcement. The Apple iPhone 11 contained several videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of young children.   

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Larson and Jocelyn Bond.

Source: DOJ Release