Houston man pleads guilty in Maryland to child sex exploitation involving eight victims

MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Houston man pled guilty in Maryland federal court Tuesday to child sex abuse crimes involving eight victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Dazhon Darien, 34, who previously lived in Maryland until around June 2024, pled guilty to sexually exploiting a child and also admitted that he exploited eight minors.

The incidents occurred on five occasions between April 2023 and June 2024.

During this time, authorities stated that Darien persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor victim, who was between the ages of 15 and 16, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing and transmitting child sexual abuse material, according to his guilty plea

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Darien used CashApp to pay the victim for the production and transmission of videos containing child sexual abuse material, officials said.

He also confessed to the sexual exploitation of seven other victims, aged between 14 and 17.

Authorities reported that Darien stored the exploited videos on his cell phones and in internet-based accounts.

Darien faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for these crimes.

His sentencing is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.