Wexford Man Failed to Register as a Sex Offender, Fled to Avoid Serving a 10-Year Prison Sentence for Conspiring to Sex Traffic a Minor

PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of failure of to register as a sex offender and failure to surrender for service of sentence, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Daniel Teed, age 56, of Wexford, PA, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

According to information presented to the Court, from October 23, 2017, and continuing until February 13, 2018, Teed, who was required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act after having been convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of Children on June 14, 2017, knowingly failed to register, as required by the SORNA. In addition, Teed, after having been released, while awaiting his surrender for service of sentence after conviction, and having been directed by the Court to surrender for service of sentence to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Loretto in Western Pennsylvania on January 2, 2018, knowingly and willfully failed to surrender as ordered by the Court.

Teed was arrested on February 12 in Flagstaff, Ariz., following a nationwide manhunt led by the U.S. Marshals Service. Teed, a convicted sex offender, was wanted for failing to surrender to serve a 10-year prison term. Deputy Marshals were dispatched to multiple states and eventually developed information that Teed had traveled to Flagstaff. Investigation revealed that Teed was employing an alias and had disguised his appearance to avoid capture.

United States District Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for September 13, 2018. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years imprisonment, fine of $500,000.00, a term of supervised release for no more than three years, or any or all of the above. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense 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 Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Teed.

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.