A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School special education teacher to 45 months in prison after he admitted to owning and sharing child pornography.
Peter Flynn, 61, of Silver Spring was put on administrative leave in September 2014 when Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was notified of the allegations and no longer works at the school.
When Flynn was indicted in January 2015, then-B-CC Principal Karen Lockard wrote a letter to the school community saying “none of the alleged illegal activity occurred on school property, involved any students, or was related to his job in any way.”
Federal prosecutors said Flynn admitted in a plea agreement that on April 3, 2014, he shared about 205 photos and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
A Maryland State Police corporal conducting an online investigation found the file-sharing network, according to federal prosecutors. On Sept. 30, 2014, police executed a search warrant at Flynn’s home and seized two computers from his basement.
Federal prosecutors said Flynn admitted that there was child pornography on his computers and a search of the devices revealed more than 28,000 photos and almost 800 videos of child pornography and child erotica.
“Some of the images documented the sexual abuse of prepubescent children, including bondage and violence,” federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge George Hazel sentenced Flynn in Greenbelt. Flynn’s prison time will be followed by 15 years of supervised release. He also must pay a fine of $12,500.
