The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 63-year-old Monroe County resident was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to 78 months in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Gary J. Delena, formerly of Mt. Pocono, previously admitted to using a computer to download and share images of child pornography during October and November 2008.

     Delena was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2010, as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office.

     Judge Caputo also ordered Delena to serve a lifetime on supervised release following his prison sentence and pay a special assessment of $100. Delena must also receive sex offender treatment and comply with sex offender registration requirements following his release from prison.

     This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

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

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