Wilkes-Barre Man Admits to Receiving Child Pornography and Firearms Charge

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a 33-year-old Wilkes-Barre resident pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy to receiving child pornography during January and February 2007, and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a user of a controlled substance during 2005 through 2007.

Pfannenschmidt stated that Jacob Mertz admitted to receiving sexually explicit images and videos of minors on his computer. Mertz also admitted to possessing a firearm while he was a user of marijuana, which is unlawful under federal law.

Mertz was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on January 22, 2008. A superseding indictment was returned by the grand jury on March 17, 2009. Mertz’s charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, and Wilkes-Barre Police.

Pfannenschmidt noted that the plea agreement in the case recommends that Mertz be sentenced to five years in prison, a 10-year term of supervised release after serving his prison sentence, and a $100 special assessment. Judge Conaboy scheduled sentencing for December 10, 2009.

Pfannenschmidt 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.

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