Albemarle babysitter hit with over 80 child sex abuse charges involving kids in his care

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- An Albemarle County babysitter accused of sexually assaulting children in his care is now facing over 80 child sex abuse charges.

As of Monday, April 6, 24-year-old Maxwell H. Mandell of Albemarle has been indicted on a total of 82 felony charges relating to the sexual abuse of seven children, according to an April 7 press release from the Albemarle County Police Department.

This includes charges relating to both the creation and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as well as object sexual penetration and aggravated sexual battery.

Per online court records, the specifics of his charges are as follows:

• 1 count of possession of CSAM
• 49 counts of possession of CSAM, second offense
• 1 count of filming/manufacturing CSAM
• 24 counts of filming/manufacturing CSAM, second offense
• 5 counts of object sexual penetration
• 2 counts of aggravated sexual battery

The offense dates on these charges are spread across both 2025 and 2024.

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Mandell was originally arrested on just two charges in December 2025. Prior to that, he offered both babysitting services and music lessons in and around the Crozet area -- and his alleged crimes reportedly took place while he was providing these services.

In mid-January, Albemarle authorities issued a press release about the accusations Mandell faces, saying that investigators believed he had additional victims. They asked for the public's help in finding those victims.

Mandell is pictured above. If you have ever hired or had contact with him in a professional capacity, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 434-977-4000.

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"Additional victims may be located outside Albemarle County, including the Blacksburg area, where Mandell previously resided," police said.

According to online court records, Mandell will stand trial in mid-June. The 5-day proceedings are set to begin at 9:15 a.m. on Monday, June 8.

At this time, Mandell is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond.