Bellefonte Man Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

WILLIAMSPORT -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert J. Elder, a resident of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania was charged today with Possession of child pornography in a Criminal Information filed in the U.S. District Court in Williamsport.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Elder, age 39, allegedly committed the offense in August 2014 at his residence in Bellefonte.   

The government is also seeking forfeiture of a computer, tapes, DVDs, hard drives and discs seized during the search of Elder’s residence.  The government filed a plea agreement with the defendant which is subject to the approval of the court.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Service as part of an investigation of a child pornography website.  Assistant United States Attorney Wayne P. Samuelson is assigned to prosecute the case. 

Indictments are only allegations.  All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this case, the maximum penalty under federal law is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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