Former Mayport Naval commander pleads guilty to child sex abuse material charge

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Naval Station Mayport commander pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal charges connected to child sexual abuse material, and unlawful retention of classified national defense information.

Gregory Edward McLean, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing videos depicting the sexual assault of children and one count of unlawful retention of classified national defense information, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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The investigation into McLean began when Rhode Island State Police got a tip “that a user of a particular messaging application had shared videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children,” a release from the DOJ said.

The user was later identified as McLean. At the time, he was an active-duty Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy serving as the Executive Officer at a ship stationed at Mayport.

“The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) continued the investigation and identified additional instances where McLean had distributed child sexual abuse material,” the release said.

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A search warrant was served at McLean’s house on Nov. 4, 2021, and several electronic devices were confiscated.

In addition to finding “files depicting the sexual abuse of minors,” investigators also found “two documents McLean unlawfully retained which contained national defense information related to foreign governments and their combat aircraft and naval capabilities,” the release said.

The DOJ said, “McLean faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the child exploitation offense and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the retention of classified information offense.”

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His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

This case was brought up by Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative under the Department of Justice.

This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Rhode Island State Police, with assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

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