Skip to main content
Press Release

Two Harrisburg Men Charged Federally With Possession Of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that John L. Gilbert, III, age 36, and Timothy Rissmiller, age 44, both residents of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania were indicted yesterday by a grand jury in Harrisburg and charged with possession of child pornography. 

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Gilbert and Rissmiller were taken into custody by the Harrisburg Bureau of Police after they allegedly printed photographs containing child pornography at a store in Harrisburg. Harrisburg police also searched the residence of the two men and found additional evidence of alleged child pornography. 

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Harrisburg Bureau of Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.

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."

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #

Updated June 2, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood