Skip to main content
Press Release

ICE Investigation Leads To Indictment Of Crescent Man On Child Porn Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH - An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of receipt and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The four-count indictment named Mark A. Chasey, 49, of Crescent, Pa., as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on or about Nov. 2, 2012, Nov. 4, 2012, and Nov. 5, 2012, Chasey knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct by computer. The indictment further alleges that from in and around November of 2012, and continuing until in and around October of 2013, Chasey knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 70 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Updated July 14, 2015