Luzerne County Man Sentenced On Child Pornography Charge

SCRANTON -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Thomas J. Hart, age 50, of Pittston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 26, 2022, to 60 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for receipt and distribution of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between July 10, 2019, and August 12, 2020, Hart used Kik Messenger to receive and distribute videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Assistant United States Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted 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 For more information about internet safety education, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

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