North Versailles Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing 1,200 Images of Child Pornography on His Phone

PITTSBURGH, PA – An Allegheny County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 40 months in prison to be followed by 104 months of supervised release on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Travis Kuhns, 28, of North Versailles, PA 15137.

According to information presented to the court, Kuhns was an active member of an online group called Yum Yum Trading, which was notorious for trading child pornography. While a member of the group, Kuhns posted child pornography links to the group and sent links directly to an undercover FBI Agent who had become a member. Kuhns also engaged in online chats with the Agent and expressed his sexual interest in children. Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant on Kuhns’s residence and discovered in excess of 1,200 images of child pornography on his cell phone.

Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Kuhns. 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.