LUZERNE COUNTY MAN CHARGED WITH RECEIVING
AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Martin C. Carlson, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a federal grand jury yesterday returned a two-count indictment charging a Luzerne County man with receiving and possessing child pornography.

Carlson stated that Stephen Miknevich, age 31, Dallas, Pennsylvania, is charged with committing the offenses between December 2006 and December 6, 2007.

Miknevich’s charges stem from an investigation by the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, Delaware State Police, and the Scranton Police Department. Carlson stated that Miknevich faces a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the receiving child pornography charge, and up to 10 years in prison if convicted of possessing child pornography.

Carlson noted that the investigation and prosecution of Miknevich are part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Carlson noted that Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

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An indictment and criminal information is not evidence of guilt but simply a
description of the charge made by the United States Attorney against a defendant.
A charged defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding
that the United States has proved the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.