Mercer County Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

PITTSBURGH, PA—On Sept. 9, 2011, a resident of Mercer County, Pennsylvania was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Robert Allen Chamberlain, 51.

According to information presented to the court, on or about Dec. 31, 2009, Chamberlain knowingly possessed visual depictions, namely images and videos contained in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Chamberlain.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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.