Blawnox Resident Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and is Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Blawnox, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to violating federal laws regarding the sexual exploitation of a minor and has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years of prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release, on his conviction, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on James Muir, 60, who pleaded guilty to two counts.

According to information presented to the Court, on or around October 19, 2022, Muir induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing videos and still images of such conduct. Muir then distributed the child sexual abuse material to another individual via text message.

Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Pittsburgh’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, including the Allegheny County Police Department and Blawnox Borough Police Department, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Muir.

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.justice.gov/psc.