Child Predator Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

PHILADELPHIA—John Desper, 41, of Woolwich, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for using the Internet to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity and for traveling for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a minor, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Desper traveled from New Jersey to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on February 16, 2009, for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a minor. He pleaded guilty on February 1, 2010, to those two counts along with five counts of receipt of child pornography, five counts of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge John P. Fullam handed down the sentence.

At the time of his arrest, Desper had six different screen names and was corresponding online with parents offering them money if they would allow him to sexually assault their children. A forensic examination of his computer found more than 8,000 images of child pornography.

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.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.