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Press Release

Two Men From Delaware County Indicted On Child Exploitation Charges

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

PHILADELPHIA – An indictment was unsealed today charging Daniel Mattson, 34, of Springfield, PA, and Anthony Lembo, 33, of Newtown Square, PA, with numerous counts involving child exploitation, United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.  Both defendants were arrested this morning by FBI agents.  Following an initial appearance they were ordered detained pending a formal detention hearing on April 20, 2016.

According to the indictment, on various dates between 2009 and April of 2015, Mattson and Lembo distributed, received, and maintained a collection of thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused and in sexually explicit positions.  It is further alleged that Lembo received the same type of sexually explicit images of children that he downloaded from the Internet and received from other users on the Internet.  

If convicted of all charges, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a maximum sentence, per count, of 20 years in prison, a possible fine, a period of supervised release, and a special assessment.

This case was investigated by Delaware County Detectives in the Office of District Attorney and the FBI.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

 

An Indictment is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Updated April 15, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood