Dauphin County Man Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dwayne Cavanaugh, age 55, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted on March 5, 2025, by a federal grand jury for possession of child pornography.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Cavanaugh possessed child pornography on or about January 21, 2024. The indictment further alleges that this offense occurred after Cavanaugh was convicted in 2010 for receipt of child pornography in United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Dukes is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is twenty years of imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. 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.

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

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