Former Baltimore County athletic director sentenced for child exploitation crimes

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A former Baltimore County Athletic Director will spend the next two decades in federal prison after being sentenced in a sweeping child sexual exploitation case.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Dazhon Darien, 34, to 20 years in federal prison followed by 30 years of supervised release for sexually exploiting eight boys between the ages of 14 and 17.

The sentencing comes after a federal investigation uncovered child sexual abuse material Darien produced and stored on his cellphones and in internet-based accounts.

According to court documents, authorities said that between April 2023 and June 2024, Darien coerced a 15-year-old boy to create and send sexually explicit videos, paying the victim through CashApp. Darien, who lived in Maryland until June 2024 before moving to Texas, admitted to exploiting seven other boys.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland brought the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The FBI Baltimore Field Office and Baltimore County Police Department investigated the case.

Darien pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor inside U.S. District Court in downtown Baltimore, following an earlier federal indictment in January 2025. Investigators detailed in the plea agreement that Darien exchanged messages and received explicit photos from male victims, some as young as 14, often giving them money in return.

This case surfaced after authorities arrested Darien in April 2024 in connection to a separate scandal involving an AI-generated audio recording. That synthetic recording, which featured the voice of Darien’s then principal making racist comments, went viral, resulting in the principal’s removal and sparking outrage throughout the district. Authorities said Darien made and distributed the recording as retaliation against the principal, who was investigating Darien and had informed him his contract would not be renewed.

Federal prosecutors commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their investigative work, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow handling the prosecution.