Baltimore Sun

Former Maryland state delegate Robert A. McKee will plead guilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography stemming from a search of his home and personal computers earlier this year, his lawyer said today.

Attorney Timothy F. Maloney of Greenbelt announced the pending plea agreement shortly after the Justice Department issued the charge against the former Republican lawmaker from Washington County. No court date was set for formal acceptance of the plea.

Maloney said McKee, 59, accepts responsibility for his actions.

“Since his resignation from the legislature, Mr. McKee’s main focus has been on getting well and staying well. He continues to progress with professional assistance and strong support from his family and friends in the Hagerstown community,” Maloney said.

McKee, who chaired the General Assembly’s Western Maryland delegation until he resigned Feb. 15, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.

Federal authorities alleged that on Jan. 31, when Washington County sheriff’s deputies raided his home in the unincorporated community of Halfway, McKee knowingly possessed material containing images of child pornography. The images had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, and produced using a computer or other means, according to the charging document. It didn’t describe the images.

[...]

McKee is not married but has an “adopted granddaughter,” Del. LeRoy Myers, R-Washington, said in February. The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown reported in 2006 that McKee was the legal guardian of a 16-year-old girl.

Andrew Serafini, a financial adviser from the Hagerstown area, was chosen by Washington County Republicans and approved by Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley in March to serve the remainder of McKee’s term, which ends in 2010.