Philadelphia Woman Indicted on Child Pornography and Online Enticement Charges

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Linda Paolini, 43, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged today by Indictment with two counts of manufacturing and attempted manufacturing of child pornography and one count of online enticement of a minor.

The charges arise out of a telephone tip received by the FBI.  Defendant Paolini, who was pretending to be an underage girl, communicated through Instagram with an underage boy, soliciting him for videos of him engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Over the course of months, she and her victim exchanged over 50,000 Instagram messages, including explicit and sexually-charged chats.  On January 22, 2019, Paolini was arrested by federal authorities, was charged by criminal complaint the next day, and, on January 28, was ordered detained pending trial. 

If convicted, Paolini faces life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years, a mandatory term of supervised release of at least 5 years but up to a lifetime of supervised release, a $750,000 fine, and $15,300 in special assessments

“The facts alleged in this indictment present an all-too-familiar scenario – an adult using the Internet and social media to lure and abuse children,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood program – a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse – 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.  The investigation and prosecution of this defendant is part of our successful enforcement in this area.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Rinaldi.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.