Cambridge Springs Man Sentenced to 37 Years in Jail for Child Pornography Offenses

ERIE, PA—A former resident of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 37 years in jail and lifetime supervised release on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin imposed the sentence on Eric Lee Stafford, 33.

According to information presented to the court, Stafford distributed and possessed computer images depicting minor males engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Prior to the child pornography offenses, Stafford had been convicted of two separate indecent assaults on minor males in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Stafford also revealed that during sex offender treatment, which occurred in between his two indecent assault convictions, he had sexually assaulted seven other minors. During the investigation, the authorities also discovered that Stafford was not in compliance with his Megan’s Law registration requirements.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge McLaughlin stated that Stafford’s conduct was “particularly egregious” and was coupled with a “very troubling criminal history.” Judge McLaughlin also stated his belief that Stafford is a “predatory pedophile who is not deterred by his previous incarcerations.”

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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

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.