Windber Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison and 10 Years of Supervised Release for Possessing Child Pornography

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Windber, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 120 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Kristian E. Heller, 46, of Windber, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, on or about April 20, 2021, Heller knowingly possessed one or more visual depictions, namely, videos and images in individual computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct and which depict prepubescent minors and minors who have not attained twelve years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, all of which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, by means of a computer, and all of which had been produced using materials which had been mailed and shipped in interstate and foreign commerce.

Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Ms. Chung commended the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Heller.

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 better 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.