Jefferson County Man Charged with Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Jefferson County has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal law relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The three-count indictment, returned on September 27, 2018 and unsealed today, names Matthew James Kite, age 22, of Reynoldsville, PA, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, on or about October 15, 2017, Kite received videos containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. The Indictment further alleges that on October 26, 2017, and on April 18, 2018, Kite possessed images and videos, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not reached the age of 12.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years imprisonment, a maximum term of lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $750,000. 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 Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Department of Homeland Security 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.