Stefan Bieret, an assistant to the Sergeant at Arms for the U.S. House of Representatives, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with 10 felony counts related to the possession of child pornography.
Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced Bieret’s arrest in a Thursday press release. Bieret, 41, of Burke, Va., was subsequently identified as an employee in the House Sergeant at Arms office. According to Legistorm, a website that tracks congressional employment records, Bieret’s work for the House Sergeant at Arms began in 2004.
Bieret also worked for the U.S. Capitol Police, and had served in a civilian role in the agency’s Security Services Bureau from April 2019 to September 2020, a Capitol Police spokesperson told Roll Call.
According to FCPD, Bieret was arrested after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) notified police that a potentially illicit image had been uploaded to a Dropbox account. The ownership of the Dropbox was later traced to an owner living in Fairfax County and, in August, detectives from FCPD’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Missing and Exploited Persons Squad began a further investigation.
A further search warrant on the Dropbox account revealed additional images of child sexual abuse material. Further search warrants led detectives to believe Bieret is the owner of the Dropbox account.
On Wednesday, detectives executed a search warrant at Bieret’s residence and recovered multiple electronics.
Bieret was then arrested and charged with ten counts of possession of child pornography. He was then taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.
Bieret is next scheduled to appear in court on November 22.
FCPD said its detectives will continue to examine the digital evidence that was recovered from the Bieret’s home and consult with the Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney for any additional charges.
Bieret, his attorney and the House Sergeant at Arms’ office all did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.
Burke is located about 20 miles from Washington D.C.
