Philadelphia Man Charged with Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

James Samuel McKethan, 51, of Philadelphia, and formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, was charged today by indictment with failure to register as a sex offender, announced U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain.

McKethan was previously convicted of 4^th degree sexual contact in Maryland and, as a result of his conviction, is required to register as a sex offender. When he failed to update his sex offender registration as required, a warrant was issued for his arrest. The U.S. Marshal Service located him in Philadelphia after it was discovered that he had been residing and working in Pennsylvania for all four quarters of 2017, but had failed to register his sex offender status with the Pennsylvania State Police. 

If convicted, the defendant faces 10 years’ imprisonment, 3 years’ supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and $100 special assessment. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotella.

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 Attorney’s 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, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.