Private Ambulance Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Transportation of Child Pornography

Jason Haldeman, age 38, of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, pled guilty today to one count of transportation of child pornography, in violation of federal law. Haldeman, who is the owner and operator of Stat Care Ambulance Service, Inc., in West Grove, Pennsylvania, will be sentenced on March 6, 2012 by United States District Judge Sue L. Robinson. Haldeman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and a maximum sentence of twenty years, in prison. Haldeman also faces a term of supervised release following his prison sentence of five years to life, and will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school. Haldeman will remain detained pending sentencing.

According to statements made at today’s hearing and documents filed in court, Haldeman was identified by agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security during an online investigation into a computer network devoted to trading images of child pornography. During that investigation, an undercover agent located in Delaware downloaded 74 files depicting child pornography that Haldeman had made available to network members.

Law enforcement agents executed search warrants at Haldeman’s Landenberg residence and West Grove, Pennsylvania office on January 20, 2011. Upon entering Haldeman’s private office at his business, agents found a computer logged into the computer network previously identified during the investigation. On this computer were approximately 16,000 files depicting pictures and movies of child pornography available for download by approximately 150 other network members. The vast majority of these images and movies depicted prepubescent and teenage boys posing lasciviously or engaged in sex acts with other boys or adult males.

Following the plea hearing, United States Attorney Charles M. Oberly, III, stated, “The mandatory prison sentence facing Mr. Haldeman should once again serve notice that the collecting, exchanging, transporting or production of child pornography will result in prison sentences and lifetime altering consequences.”

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will use all of its investigative resources to stop predators in their tracks and bring them to justice,” said John P. Kelleghan, special agent in charge of HSI in Philadelphia. “Safeguarding our children from predators is a top HSI priority.”