An Eastern Shore man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for broadcasting a live video of him molesting a minor on the Internet ? only to be spotted by an alert Web surfer in Australia who notified police.
Roderick Parks, 42, was “overcome with emotion” in federal court in Baltimore, where U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake handed the Worcester County resident the maximum sentence for exploiting a minor to produce child pornography.
Parks, who has AIDS, was nabbed after Australian Federal Police learned of webcam images showing him sexually assaulting a male child.
Parks continues to deny having sex with minors, though authorities said he admitted to having sex with an 11-year-old boy 15 times over a three-month period last year, defense attorney Paul Hazlehurst said. Given his condition ? the result of his own sexual abuse, according to Hazlehurst ? the sentence could mean a life term for Parks, who will likely appeal the ruling.
“He is suffering right now, just as the family is suffering and, I?m sure, will continue to suffer,” Hazlehurst said. “He didn?t want the family to have to go through anymore.”
Prosecutors said the case demonstrates international investigative capabilities. At a news conference after the sentencing, U.S. State?s Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod Rosenstein said Parks acted with a “depraved heart.”
“There?s a lot of people out there doing this who think they can get away with it,” Rosenstein said. “And they are committing it brazenly.”
Rosenstein also announced a guilty plea of an Allegheny County man, William Edward Wray II, with a similar crime.
Wray, 50, pleaded guilty Wednesday to exploiting a minor female to produce photographs of her. Between November 2002 and November 2004, Wray sexually exploited another minor female to produce videos of her, prosecutors said.
During a March 9 search of Wray?s home in Crespatown, his computer was operating on a file- sharing program, distributing his collection of child pornography over the Internet, prosecutors said. He distributed, received or possessed more than 600 images of child pornography, including sadistic violence involving prepubescent minors.
Wray faces at least 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 7.
Parks is ineligible for parole.
Rep. Pat McDonough, R-Harford and Baltimore counties, said he wants to abolish good-behavior release for some crimes, including sex offenses.
