Beaver Falls Man Facing Child Pornography Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 26, 2013 |
PITTSBURGH—A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of distribution and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The three-count indictment returned on June 25 named Darren Johnson, 43, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about March 22, 2013 and March 28, 2013, Johnson knowingly distributed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct by computer. The indictment also alleges that, on or about April 26, 2013, Johnson possessed visual depictions, namely, images and videos in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and not more than 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.