WAYNE COUNTY MAN ADMITS TO RECEIVING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a 62-year-old Wayne County resident pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy to receiving child pornography during October 2007 through March 6, 2008.

Pfannenschmidt stated that John Linnell admitted to receiving and downloading sexually explicit images and videos of minors on his computer.

Linnell was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 11, 2008, as a result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Pfannenschmidt noted that the plea agreement in the case recommends that Linnell be sentenced within a range of between five years in prison and nine years in prison. The plea agreement also calls for Linnell to be placed on supervised release for life following his release from prison. Judge Conaboy scheduled sentencing for December 17, 2009.

Pfannenschmidt 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.

Pfannenschmidt noted that the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.

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