Charles Rust-Tierney, a former president of the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.
Rust-Tierney knowingly received multiple photo and video files depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct files between March 2005 and January 2007, according to the indictment.
The images were found when his Arlington residence was searched on Feb. 23 of this year, according to the indictment, which noted that many of the children depicted in the images were under 12 years of age.
Rust-Tierney was a coach in Arlington Little League and had children who participated in Arlington’s flag football league, according to Arlington County Parks & Recreation spokesperson Susan Kalish.
While Arlington Little League is a private organization, Kalish said it must still follow certain guidelines.
Kalish said that all Little League coaches must go through annual background checks. She said that she believed this was Rust-Tierney’s first offense because he had passed all his previous background checks.
"If he didn’t pass he wouldn’t be there," Kalish said. "It’s … black and white."
Kalish noted that the background checks are administered by Little League and not by the county.
Little League representatives did not return phone calls requesting comment on this story.
Rust-Tierney has been detained since his arrest, which occurred shortly after the raid on his house. If he is found guilty on both charges, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Unit. A spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office would not comment on what penalty will be sought for Rust-Tierney.