Stowe Man Sentenced To 18 Years’ Imprisonment For Child Exploitation Offenses

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo sentenced Hakeem James Hughes, age 30, of Stowe, Pennsylvania, to 216 months’ imprisonment followed by 15 years of supervised release for child exploitation offenses.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hughes previously pleaded guilty to using minors to produce child pornography.  Hughes coerced and persuaded minors to engage in sexual acts with him, often providing them phones and electronic games in exchange, and video recorded the encounters.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Group.  Assistant United States Attorney James T. Clancy 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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