BALTIMORE — A former Downtown Baltimore Child Care worker was indicted Thursday in connection with child sex abuse crimes, the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced.
Simone Unadrea Avery, 23, of Baltimore, is facing one count of sexually exploiting a child and two counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The indictment follows a joint investigation by the Baltimore City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which stemmed from a previous conviction.
According to a letter obtained by WMAR-2 News from Johns Hopkins University, Avery worked as a substitute teacher at the Homewood Early Learning Center from June 29, 2023, to May 2, 2024.
University officials confirmed through the letter that the alleged offense that led to Avery's arrest occurred in June 2024, after her employment at the learning center had ended.
Avery was officially charged in May 2025, and was later convicted in September 2025. She is currently imprisoned in connection with that conviction.
According to the indictment, on April 23, 2024, Avery produced two image files that depicted "a prepubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct."
Avery was also found in possession of an iPhone and a hard drive, both of which contained visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Officials say that if Avery is convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child, and a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years for possessing child sex abuse material.
