Luzerne County Man Admits to Possessing Child Pornography

Martin C. Carlson, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a 19-year-old Dallas resident pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley to possessing child pornography during 2006 through May 2008.

Carlson stated that Matthew Maginley admitted to possessing sexually explicit images and videos of minors.

Maginley was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 16, 2008, as a result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Carlson noted that Maginley faces a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; a special assessment of $100; and could be placed on supervised release for life after serving his prison sentence. Judge Munley scheduled Maginley’s sentencing for April 21, 2009. In the plea agreement, it is recommended that Maginley receive a sentence of four years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release after serving his prison sentence, and a $100 special assessment.

Carlson noted that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Carlson noted that the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.