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Press Release

Derry Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production, Distribution and Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Derry, Pennsylvania was sentenced in federal court to a total term of 240 months’ imprisonment (20 years) on his conviction for four counts of production and attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor; one count of distribution and attempted distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor; and one count of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Michael Wilson, age 44. Judge Ranjan also ordered a period of 15 years’ supervised release following Wilson’s incarceration sentence and ordered that Wilson pay restitution totaling $6,000. Judge Ranjan further ordered Wilson to pay a $600 criminal monetary penalty pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.

According to information presented to the court, on multiple occasions during 2019 through May 15, 2021, Wilson surreptitiously recorded five different minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a video recording device that he was able to access from his cellular telephone. Further, the court was advised that from September, 2019 to October, 2019, Wilson communicated with another individual through online chat applications about the sexual abuse of minors and distributed to this other individual some of the images that he had secretly recorded of one minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Wilson also possessed several other images of child sexual abuse material, including one image of a prepubescent minor.

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

Homeland Security Investigations – Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Derry Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Wilson.

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.

Updated July 18, 2023

Topic
Project Safe Childhood