Lackawanna County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offense

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 28-year-old Olyphant resident pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik to receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Jonathan Allen admitted to using a computer to download images of child pornography during 2010 and 2011.

Allen was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2011, as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, if it is accepted by the court, Allen will be sentenced to between 78 months and 108 months in prison, to be followed by a life term of supervised release. The agreement also requires Allen to comply with sex offender registration and treatment requirements.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.