By Ben Leonard
The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A former Baltimore County corrections officer has been sentenced to more than 33 years in federal prison for two counts of child pornography production, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said.
U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Thomas Michael Mannion Jr., 46, Friday to 400 months in federal prison after Mannion pleaded guilty to the charges in March. He must also register as a sex offender upon lifetime supervised release.
Mannion was originally charged with raping a 13-year-old in May 2019, but circuit court prosecutors declined to prosecute him on rape charges less than two weeks after the federal child porn indictment was filed in October 2019, court records show. The Baltimore County Department of Corrections fired Mannion after he was charged.
“Thomas Mannion is a predator and our children and communities are safer because he will now serve more than 33 years in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur in a news release. “We are grateful for the collaboration of our law enforcement partners to remove this sexual predator from the community so he can no longer victimize our children.”
Baltimore County Police were originally called to Mannion’s home in May 2019 after a neighbor reported seeing Mannion naked in bed with a 13-year-old, according to the release. Authorities previously said that Mannion had begun talking with the child months before the incident on Grindr, a dating app.
Mannion had initially engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the child in March, according to the release. He was charged with rape relating to the incidents. Authorities found a total of 29 images and two videos showing the child engaging in sexually explicit activity on Mannion’s cellphone, according to the release.
Mannion said he shared the images with others, officials said.
Mannion also admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy in April 2019 and taking 18 photos and two videos of the sexual contact, sharing the content with others as well, according to the release.
Mannion had tried to meet several other children on the dating app, even after they had told him their ages, according to the release. A search of his laptop uncovered several more images of child pornography, the release said.
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