Indictment Charges Allentown Man With Producing Child Pornography

PHILADELPHIA - Ruben Cotto, Jr., 28, of Allentown, PA, was charged yesterday by Indictment with the production and attempted production of child pornography as well as the distribution and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life, a possible fine, up to a lifetime of supervised release, a $300 special assessment, and an additional $15,000 special assessment. 

The case was investigated by the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.

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.

An Indictment is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.