May 19, 2015

Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

PITTSBURGH.—A former resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 10 years’ imprisonment, followed by a lifetime supervised release, on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Gustave Diamond imposed the sentence on James Stover, 28, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pa.

According to information presented to the court, on or about Aug. 15, 2013, Stover knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.

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

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conducting the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Stover.

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.