PITTSBURGH—An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of sex trafficking of a child, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on June 25, and sealed today, named Mario Grisom, 34, of Homestead, Pa., as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, in and around April 2015, Grisom knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided and obtained a female minor, Minor A, to engage in commercial sex acts. The indictment further charges that from in and around July 2012, to in and around August 2012, Grisom knowingly attempted to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide and obtain a female minor, Minor B, to engage in commercial sex acts.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

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

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.justice.gov/psc.