The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 66-year-old Susquehanna County resident was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy for receiving and distributing child pornography in 2010.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, George Debella, of Montrose, Pennsylvania, previously pleaded guilty to the offense in April 2012.

     Debella was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2011 for using a computer to download and distribute images of child pornography between January 2010 and October 2010.

     The charge against Debella resulted from an investigation by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

     Judge Conaboy also ordered Debella to spend 15 years on supervised release following his prison sentence, pay a special assessment of $100, receive sex offender treatment, and comply with sex offender registration requirements.

     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 internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

     The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.

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