Man Indicted in Pittsburgh for Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON – Alexander Brent, 40, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for possession of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Robin Dalgleish, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division.

According to the indictment, from December 2009 to December 22, 2010, while accompanying a member of the armed forces in Germany, Brent possessed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted, Brent faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Brent also faces a term of supervised release of five years to life following his prison sentence and will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works or attends school.            

This case is being investigated by USPIS. Trial Attorney Andrew McCormack of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig W. Haller are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.