New Jersey Man Indicted For Production And Receipt Of Child Pornography And Enticement Of A Minor

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Scranton returned an indictment on July 19, charging a 44-year-old Basking Ridge, New Jersey man with production of child pornography, receiving child pornography, and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, all through the use of a computer and cellular telephone.  

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the Indictment, unsealed July 21, alleges that Hubert Young persuaded and coerced a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual image of such conduct, received images of child pornography from the minor, and enticed, persuaded and coerced the minor to engage in illegal sexual activity between January 2015 and June 2016.  The victim is a resident of Luzerne County.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Luzerne County Detectives, and the Pittston Police Department.

If convicted of the charges, Young faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for the child pornography production charge, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison for the enticement of a minor charge, and a mandatory minimum five years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the receiving child pornography charge.

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."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

Indictments and Criminal Informations 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.

The maximum penalty under federal law is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. 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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