Harford man federally indicted on child pornography and illegal gun possession charges

Mar. 5—An Edgewood man has been charged with production and possession of child pornography as well as illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to documents filed in federal court.

Travis Joseph Crawford, 33, was arrested and charged with three counts of producing child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of illegally possessing a firearm, according to federal court documents.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in the case, Harford County Sheriff's deputies responded to an Edgewood apartment on Nov. 30 for a report of a wanted person.

Arriving at the apartment, deputies could hear a man saying "where is my gun?" the affidavit states. When they opened the door, an unidentified resident of the apartment handed deputies a Taurus handgun wrapped in a towel. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the handgun was a .40-caliber, and documents state that it was loaded, with a round chambered.

Deputies then arrested Crawford, who was wanted on a warrant from the Maryland State Police for gun charges, documents state. Crawford is prohibited from possessing a gun because of prior convictions for possessing drugs, second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property, the documents state.

While at the apartment, deputies spoke to Crawford's girlfriend — who is not named in the documents. She said she found multiple videos of Crawford inappropriately touching a female minor while she was asleep and a video of the girl naked in a bathroom, the documents state. The girlfriend used her phone to record the videos as they played on Crawford's phone, the documents state.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the videos appeared to have been taken without the minor's knowledge or consent.

Interviewed at the Harford County Child Advocacy Center, the minor "did not disclose any knowledge of being abused or recorded by anyone," the documents state. The Aegis does not identify survivors of alleged sexual abuse.

Law enforcement seized Crawford's phone and found the three videos of the minor, according to the statement. The indictment also alleges other sexually explicit depictions of minors were found on the device.

Crawford was not released, according to detention documents filed in the case, because of the weight of evidence against him and his prior convictions, among other reasons.

If convicted, Crawford faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and maximum 30 year sentence in federal prison for each of three counts of production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, and illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon carries a maximum of 10.

The U.S. Attorney's office acknowledged that sentences are typically less than the maximum and must be determined by a judge. If found guilty in federal court, defendants must serve 85% of their sentences.

Crawford would also be required to register as a sex offender if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Crawford's public defender did not respond to a request for comment.

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