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Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Butler County, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of receipt and possession of materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The six-count indictment named Mark Beres, 53, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on July 1, 2008, Aug. 30, 2008, Feb. 1, 2009, Dec. 20, 2010, and April 11, 2011, Beres knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct by computer and the United States Mail. In addition, the indictment charges that on or about April 23, 2013, Beres knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 110 years in prison, a fine of $1,500,000, 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 Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Postal Inspection Service 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.
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.