ERIE, PA—A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 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 David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Todd Calvin Lapping, 40.

According to information presented to the court, Lapping produced images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possessed computer images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

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

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

Launched in February 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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.justice.gov/psc.