Butler County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing 500,000+ Images and Videos Depicting Child Pornography

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Mars, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

David McAnally, 63, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that McAnally unlawfully possessed, on September 4, 2015, in excess of 500,000 still images and videos in computer graphics files depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom were under the age of 12. McAnally received and distributed the images through Bit Torrent, a peer-to-peer Internet file-sharing network.

Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. McAnally remains on bond pending sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of McAnally.

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.