PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Valencia, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 48 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years supervised release, on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Hickton announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the prison sentence on Earl F. Forsythe, 53, of Valencia, Pennsylvania. In addition, Judge McVerry ordered Forsythe to pay $2,500 in restitution to two minor victims.
According to information presented to the court, the court was advised that on Sept. 6, 2013, a search warrant was executed at Forsythe’s residence for the seizure of computers and electronic equipment, following an undercover investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police which revealed that Forsythe had been trading images of child pornography over an on-line chat network. The contents of Forsythe’s computers revealed his possession of hundreds of videos and photographs depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were under the age of 12 years.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Lieber Smolar and Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Pennsylvania State Police for conducting the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Forsythe.
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.