Molly Elisabeth Duncan, a 26-year-old woman from Beachwood, Ohio, pleaded guilty on April 6 to multiple federal charges related to the sexual abuse of two children in her care while working as their nanny.
The case highlights concerns about child safety and the importance of monitoring those entrusted with childcare responsibilities. According to court documents, Duncan was employed as a nanny in Northeast Ohio between November 2023 and July 2024. During this time, she sexually abused one victim in Portage County and another in Geauga County—both under the age of two—and recorded visual depictions of the abuse on her cellphone. She later distributed these files through a popular social media platform to multiple users. A forensic analysis uncovered several files containing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) involving both victims.
Duncan pleaded guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Distribution of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography or CSAM. Federal District Court Judge Pamela A. Barker accepted her plea. Duncan is scheduled for sentencing on July 22 and faces up to 30 years in prison for each count of Sexual Exploitation of Children and up to 20 years for each distribution and possession charge. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations’ Cleveland Field Office and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with support from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Michelle M. Baeppler are prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to identify offenders and rescue victims.
