New Jersey Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Child Pornography “Sextortion”

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Hubert Young, age 45, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was sentenced to 25 years in prison today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley, for producing and attempting to produce child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Young previously pleaded guilty to creating two Facebook accounts with fictitious names, posing as a teenager on those accounts, and using a cell phone and computer to persuade minors to take pornographic images of themselves and send them to him.

As part of this “sextortion” scheme, once the minors sent the pornographic images to Young, he threatened to post the images on the internet unless the victims sent him more images. At least 12 minor victims between the ages of 11 and 17 from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Indiana, fell prey to Young’s criminal activities between January 2015 and June 2016.

Judge Munley also ordered Young to pay a special assessment of $5,100, and serve 10 years on supervised release following his prison sentence. Young must also receive sex offender treatment and comply with sex offender registration and notification requirements.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, and Pittston Police. Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.

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.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

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