The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 51-year-old Harvey’s Lake resident was sentenced to prison today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley for receiving and attempting to receive child pornography.

    According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, George Gracely, who formerly served as president of the Dallas Youth Basketball Association and who coached Little League and youth basketball and football teams, was sentenced to five years in prison. Gracely previously admitted that he ordered child pornography movies via mail during May 2009 through April 21, 2010.

    Gracely was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2010, as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service. Detectives from Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties and state police troopers assisted in the investigation.

     Judge Munley also ordered that Gracely be placed on supervised release for life following his prison sentence. Gracely was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Gracely will also have to comply with Sex Offender Registration laws.

   U.S. Attorney Smith noted that 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet,
as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

   U.S. Attorney Smith noted that the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.

****

Return to Top