Luzerne County Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

A Luzerne County resident was indicted June 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on federal charges of sexually exploiting a minor and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

The single-count indictment names the defendant and alleges he produced sexually explicit images and videos of a minor and maintained a collection of such material. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced the indictment in a press release issued the same day.

Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 2251 imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years for the production count when the victim is under 18. The possession count under 18 U.S.C. § 2252 carries up to 10 years. Conviction on either offense also requires lifetime sex-offender registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

The case now moves from indictment to arraignment and pretrial proceedings in Pittsburgh federal court. Prosecutors must disclose evidence to the defense, and any plea or trial must occur under the Speedy Trial Act timelines. A conviction would automatically trigger forfeiture of devices used in the offense and restitution to the victim.

This indictment forms part of the Justice Department’s ongoing enforcement against child sexual exploitation. The department has brought similar production and possession charges in multiple districts this year following investigations by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative.

The Western District of Pennsylvania has secured convictions in at least four such cases since 2024 that resulted in sentences exceeding 20 years.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice · U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania