Sep 2, 2008 7:50 pm US/Eastern
Ex-Lawmaker Faces Child Porn Charges
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) ―
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Former Maryland state lawmaker Robert McKee has been charged by the U.S. attorney's office with one count of possessing child pornography.
Former Maryland state delegate Robert A. McKee will plead guilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography stemming from a search of his home and personal computers earlier this year, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Attorney Timothy F. Maloney of Greenbelt announced the pending plea agreement shortly after the Justice Department issued the charge against the former Republican lawmaker from Washington County. No court date was set for formal acceptance of the plea.
Maloney said McKee, 59, accepts responsibility for his actions.
"Since his resignation from the legislature, Mr. McKee's main focus has been on getting well and staying well. He continues to progress with professional assistance and strong support from his family and friends in the Hagerstown community," Maloney said.
McKee, who chaired the General Assembly's western Maryland delegation until he resigned Feb. 15, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.
Federal authorities alleged that on Jan. 31, when Washington County sheriff's deputies raided his home in the unincorporated community of Halfway, McKee knowingly possessed material containing images of child pornography. The images had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, and produced using a computer or other means, according to the charging document. It didn't describe the images.
In a Feb. 15 written statement announcing his resignation after 13 years in office, McKee said he had "entered treatment" and instructed his lawyer to cooperate with law enforcement.
In the same statement, McKee announced his resignation as executive director of the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization, which he had led for 29 years.
McKee is not married but has an "adopted granddaughter," Delegate LeRoy Myers, R-Washington, said in February. The (Hagerstown) Herald-Mail reported in 2006 that McKee was the legal guardian of a 16-year-old girl.
Andrew Serafini, a financial adviser from the Hagerstown area, was chosen by Washington County Republicans and approved by Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in March to serve the remainder of McKee's term, which ends in 2010.
Washington County State's Attorney Charles P. Strong, who cooperated with federal authorities, said he was glad McKee had been charged after a seven-month investigation.
"We believed and had hoped that the federal authorities would be taking this forward. We're pleased to see they are doing so," he said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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