York Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today the unsealing of an indictment following the arrest of Brian William Walpole, age 42, of York, Pennsylvania. The indictment charges Walpole with child exploitation and distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Walpole had contact with an undercover FBI agent and shared numerous image and video files that depicted child pornography that he possessed. The investigation further revealed that Walpole had allegedly taken a video of a minor boy engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted, Walpole faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom.

An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.