Erie Resident Indicted on Sex Trafficking Charges

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of sex trafficking of a child and attempted sex trafficking of a child, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

The one-count Indictment named Ali Matthew McCoy, 20, 615 Payne Avenue, 1st Floor, Erie, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, from May 2022 through July 2022, McCoy is alleged to have sex trafficked and attempted to sex traffic a child.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

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

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Millcreek Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this 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 (CEOS), 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.

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