Assistant to US House Sergeant at Arms Charged With 10 Child Pornography Felonies

A police car in a file photo. Michael Förtsch/Unsplash

An assistant to the U.S. House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, announced Thursday that Stefan Bieret, of Burke, faces 10 felony charges related to the possession of child porn. The 41-year-old was arrested on Wednesday.

According to a release from Fairfax County Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was alerted to a “potentially illicit image being uploaded to a Dropbox account,” after which it notified the Northern Virginia-Washington, D.C., Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Dropbox is an online file-hosting service. The owner of the Dropbox account was determined to be living in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Police Department said that its detectives started investigating in August and found more images of child sexual abuse material on the Dropbox account. Further search warrants helped the detectives identify Bieret.

Bieret was arrested at his home after detectives executed a search warrant there on Wednesday and “recovered multiple electronics,” according to the release. Following the arrest and charges, Bieret was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and is being held without bond.

“Detectives will continue to examine the digital evidence that was recovered from the scene and consult with the Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney for any additional charges,” the Fairfax County police announced.

It is unclear whether Bieret has an attorney.

Legistorm, a platform that identifies congressional staff, showed that as of April, Bieret was employed by the House Sergeant at Arms, who is responsible for maintaining order on the House side of the U.S. Capitol complex. Bieret’s current employment status is unclear.

“Capitol insiders will know Stefan very well,” journalist and political analyst Jake Sherman wrote on Twitter. “A longtime employee of the House Sergeant at Arms. If you’re in the Capitol on a regular basis, you will have seen this face.”

Police are urging anyone with information on cases related to the exploitation of children to contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 6. They can also submit anonymous tips through Fairfax County Crime Solvers online or at 1-866-411-8477.