Maryland State Police have charged a Jessup man with the possession and distribution of child pornography, the agency announced Tuesday.

Paulo Sousa Lacerda, 55, was arrested Tuesday and charged with five counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of distribution of child pornography after a Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation, according to a news release.

In mid-August, the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit, which coordinates the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, started an investigation into the distribution and possession of child pornography online.

On Tuesday morning, Maryland State Police, assisted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Howard County Police Department and members of the FBI’s Baltimore Child Exploitation Task Force, served a search warrant on Lacerda’s residence.

Multiple child pornography files were discovered on Lacerda’s electronic devices during a preliminary forensic review, according to the release, and he was arrested at the scene.

Lacerda was transported to the Howard County Detention Center after his arrest, where he is being held without bond, police said. No further information was available in online court records.

Maryland State Police said the investigation is ongoing.