Pittsburgh Man Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation Charges following FBI Investigation

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of Distribution, Receipt, Attempted Distribution and Receipt, and Possession of Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Minor, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

The four-count Indictment, returned on February 16, 2021, named David Saban, age 45, as the sole defendant. Saban was ordered detained pending trial.

According to the Indictment, on May 18 and May 27, 2020, Saban knowingly distributed and attempted to distribute visual depictions, namely, videos in computer graphic and digital files, the production of which involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. It is also alleged that on August 16, 2020, Saban attempted to and did knowingly receive and distribute such material. The grand jury further alleges that on September 1, 2020, Saban knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than seventy years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. 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 Heidi M. Grogan 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.