Maryland Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of Children

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A Maryland man has been indicted on child-exploitation charges, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby.

A three-count indictment charges Donald Bernard Mewhort, Sr., 42, of Lexington Park, Maryland, with sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of a minor, and transfer of obscene matter to a minor. The indictment alleges that these events occurred between January 6, 2026, and January 12, 2026, in Limestone County, Alabama.

The FBI Birmingham Field Office and FBI Baltimore, Maryland Field Office investigated the case along with the Limestone County Sheriff's Office and the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.

If you suspect or become aware of the possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at https://www.cybertipline.orgLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.