Irwin Man Indicted in Project Safe Childhood Case
PITTSBURGH - One resident of Irwin, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal law against the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Thomas Crosby, age 27, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about October 16, 2020, Crosby knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography, was aware of the sexually explicit nature of the material and further knew that the visual depictions were of actual minors engaged in that sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years, or any combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brian W. Castello is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this 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.justice.gov/psc .
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.