Berlin man convicted, sentenced on child pornography charges

BERLIN, Md. – A Berlin man has been convicted of distributing child pornography.

The charges stem from a cyber tip received by Maryland State Police last fall, providing evidence of the possession of child pornography by a reported user. Investigators were able to trace the info back to the residence of 75-year-old Pasco Allen Jr. A search warrant was obtained for Allen’s phone, which was seized in August 2023.

Investigators determined that in June 2023, Allen had sent a saved image of child pornography to another person using Facebook.

Allen was charged with knowingly distributing child pornography and related offenses, and was sentenced to a total of five years with all but one year suspended. He was also placed on three years of supervised probation on release and required to register as a Tier II sex offender for a period of 25 years and to submit a DNA sample.