Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 22 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced registered sex offender Scott Lee Dye, 46, of North East, Maryland, today, to 22 1/2 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor. Dye must also continue to register as a sex offender for life and was also ordered to pay $4,500 in restitution to his victims. He pled guilty to the charge on June 16, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Maryland, and Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Acting Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP).

As Dye admitted pursuant to his plea agreement, he used the WhatsApp and Kik applications to attempt to meet and have sexual intercourse with individuals he believed were various minors.

According to court documents, in October 2022, law enforcement learned that Dye was engaging in sexual communications via WhatsApp with a minor after the parents reported the communications to the school, who in turn notified the police. Around the same time, New Jersey law enforcement notified Maryland law enforcement that Dye was communicating on the Kik application with an individual he believed was a 13-year-old girl, but was actually law enforcement. Dye's communications with the purported minor included graphic descriptions of the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the minor. His accounts and devices contained various videos and images of child sexual abuse material.

After his release from federal prison, Dye is required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at dhs.gov/know2protect.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI and MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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