Aberdeen Woman Sentenced Seventeen and a Half Years For Child Trafficking

A 27-year-old Aberdeen woman has been sentenced to 17½ years in federal prison after admitting she trafficked and sexually exploited two children. The prison term will be followed by 15 years of supervised release.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher handed down the sentence after Ashley Graybeal pleaded guilty in February 2026 to sex trafficking a child, sexually exploiting a child, and distributing child sexual abuse material. Federal prosecutors announced the sentence on June 4 alongside FBI and Harford County officials.

Alleged online scheme

Prosecutors say Graybeal began using a Kik account in January 2025 to reach other users, offering explicit photos of two minors and the option to perform sexual acts with the children via livestream in exchange for money. She allegedly sent those images to other Kik users and accepted payments through an online banking app. The material was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February 2025, and law enforcement intervened to recover the two children, court officials said, as reported by CBS Baltimore.

Investigation and prosecution

Federal prosecutors said the case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state, and local partners to investigate and prosecute those who sexually exploit children. Plea documents noted that sexual exploitation of a child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a statutory maximum of 30 years. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Reema Sood handled the case, and prosecutors credited the FBI and Harford County authorities for recovering the victims in a February press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Court officials and local reporting say authorities moved quickly once the online material was flagged, and officials framed Graybeal’s punishment as part of a broader federal effort to combat online child sexual abuse material, as reported by CBS Baltimore.