Retired Turnpike Commission Employee Facing Federal Child Pornography Charges

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Jeannette, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy to produce material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor and production, distribution and receipt of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The eight-count indictment, returned on March 5 and unsealed today, named John S. Longo, 57, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Longo, a retired employee of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, during the period June 5, 2009 through Nov. 12, 2010, conspired with another person to produce material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. He is also charged with producing images of child pornography on January 30, 2010, distributing images of child pornography on June 5, 2009, and receiving images of child pornography on Jan. 31, 2010, Feb. 16, 2010, March 28, 2010, May 26, 2010, and Nov. 12, 2010.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 140 years in prison, a fine of $2,000,000, 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 Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.