Both are about sexual solicitation of minors and pornography offenses.
Baltimore, Md (KM) Two guilty pleas were entered on Tuesday in US District Court in Baltimore on charges related to sexual exploitation of minors and distribution of child pornography. John W. Balch, 76, of Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and sexual exploitation of six minors, including prepubescent minors. . Jane Ellen Campbell, 35, of Hagerstown pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography related to one of the victims.
The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland says in his guilty plea, Balch says he exploited six minors between the ages of 3 and 15 years between 2017 to 2022. . He paid the victims’ mothers to produce images and videos of the victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Balch also admitted that he paid one of the mothers to transport her 15-year-old daughter to engage in sex with him in a hotel room.
Campbell admitted her plea agreement that she drove women to have commercial sex with Balch when he traveled to Maryland from his home in Florida. She also said she sent Balch sexually explicit images of a nine-year-old child on three occasions between January and March of 2017.
Balch’s sentencing is scheduled for January 26th, 2024. Federal prosecutors say Balch faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child.
Campbell’s sentencing is expected to take place on January 23rd, 2024, and she could get a mandatory minimum of five years incarceration. In addition, she could face a maximum of 20 years for distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The US Attorney’s Office says both defendants will be required to register as sex offenders after their release from prison.
By Kevin McManus