Natrona Heights Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing Sexually Exploitive Material

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Jack Ulrich, Jr., age 42, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on October 12, 2018, Ulrich, Jr., unlawfully possessed more than 100 photographs and videos in computer graphics files, which depicted minors, some of whom were under the age of 12 years, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. At the time of the offense, Ulrich was a registered sex offender, having been convicted in 2006 of a sex offense involving minors in the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Ulrich admitted to possessing and sharing the sexually exploitive material with other individuals using, among other applications, Chatous, Facebook, and Dropbox.

Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2020 at 10:45 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years or more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Ulrich.

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.