Wilkes-Barre Man Pleaded Guilty To Transporting A Minor For Sexual Activity

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Trevon Jackson, age 24, of Wilkes-Barre pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Scranton pursuant to a plea agreement.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Jackson was charged in a Criminal Information in May 2016 with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.  The Information alleged that in December 2013, Jackson transported an individual under the age of 18, from Pennsylvania to New York, with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution.

The case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.

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."

A sentence following a finding of guilty 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 the federal statute for transportation of minors for criminal activity is imprisonment for life, with a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following imprisonment.  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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