Huntington Man Sentenced to 230 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE –Stephen Pax, 54 years old, of Huntington, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Pax was sentenced to 212 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. The Court also revoked Pax’s supervised release on his prior conviction for distribution of child sexual abuse material and sentenced him to an additional 18 months in prison. The Court ordered these sentences to be served consecutively for a total term of 230 months in prison.

According to documents in the case, from about February 2020, through February 2021, Pax knowingly distributed child sexual abuse materials using a means of interstate commerce. 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service with the assistance of the Indiana State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller Lowery.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

###