Md. man convicted for Internet pornography

BALTIMORE, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A 42-year-old Maryland man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for posting images of himself molesting a child on the Internet.

This week's conviction of Roderick Gene Parks came after investigators in the United States and Australia worked together to track down the origins of the disturbing online images, The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday.

The international investigation began last November when Australian Federal Police were informed by a man of a video featuring a man molesting a child. Working together, police in Australia and Maryland were able to trace the images to Parks' home in Berlin, Md.

Authorities arrested Parks, who pleaded guilty to a federal pornography charge, the Sun said.

So far federal charges have only focused on the Internet posting and haven't included sexual abuse charges.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the international cooperation that made Wednesday's conviction possible.

"This case is a remarkable example of how international cooperation among law enforcement agencies can stop the production of child pornography throughout the world," Rosenstein said in the Sun report.