Former Baltimore Daycare Worker Indicted on Federal Child Sexual Exploitation and CSAM Charges

BALTIMORE — A former daycare substitute worker in Maryland has been federally indicted on child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material charges following an investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Baltimore Police Department.

Federal prosecutors announced that Simone Unadrea Avery, 23, of Baltimore, Maryland, faces one count of sexually exploiting a child and two counts related to possession of child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent minors.

According to federal authorities, the indictment alleges Avery produced explicit visual material involving a minor child on April 23, 2024, while employed as a substitute worker at a daycare center. Investigators stated the case centers around two image files allegedly depicting a prepubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment further alleges Avery possessed multiple electronic storage devices containing child sexual abuse material, including an iPhone and an external hard drive allegedly containing visual depictions involving prepubescent minors.

Federal authorities have not publicly identified the daycare facility connected to the investigation, and additional case details remain limited as the prosecution moves through the federal court system.

The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland alongside officials from the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Baltimore Police Department.

Investigators have increasingly warned that cases involving trusted childcare positions and child exploitation offenses remain among the most sensitive and aggressively prosecuted categories of federal criminal investigations due to the vulnerability of victims and the long-term psychological harm associated with child exploitation crimes.

Federal law enforcement agencies continue expanding digital forensic operations tied to child exploitation investigations, including examinations of mobile devices, cloud storage environments, external drives, encrypted communications, online sharing platforms, and peer-to-peer distribution systems connected to child sexual abuse material offenses.

Authorities have also continued emphasizing the growing role digital evidence plays in modern child exploitation prosecutions, with investigators frequently relying on forensic recovery methods, metadata analysis, device histories, storage artifact reconstruction, and network tracing to identify suspects and uncover additional evidence connected to exploitation activity.

The prosecution forms part of Project Safe Childhood, a long-running Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation crimes, identify offenders, locate victims, and coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement resources targeting child abuse networks and online exploitation activity.

Federal prosecutors stated the sexually exploiting a child charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of up to 30 years imprisonment if convicted. The possession charges each carry mandatory minimum penalties of 10 years and maximum sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Baltimore Police Department conducted the investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Reema Sood is prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government.

Federal authorities emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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