Southwest PA Foster Parent Pleads Guilty to Producing Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal child sexual exploitation laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Ronald Oshensky, Jr., age 43, pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.

According to information presented to the court, Mr. Oshensky was a foster parent with Children and Youth Services (CYS) organizations from several southwestern Pennsylvania counties. Through his guilty plea and pursuant to his plea agreement Mr. Oshensky acknowledged that from July 14, 2011, to October 23, 2011, the exact date being unknown, he produced two videotapes containing a total of 18 video clips which depicted seven different minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct all of which were produced using materials that were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

U.S. Attorney Chung stated, “Mr. Oshensky was entrusted to care for some of the most vulnerable members of society. Through the documented serial sexual abuse he perpetrated against children, he breached that trust and further victimized already disadvantaged youth. Today’s guilty plea reflects my office’s commitment to holding accountable those who perpetrate sexual offenses against children and ensures that western Pennsylvania is safer a place by taking a dangerous child predator out of the community.”

“This Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operation with significant assistance from the FBI and the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Police Department clearly demonstrates the power of interagency cooperation resulting in taking a dangerous predator off the streets.” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for the HSI Philadelphia Field Office. “I am especially proud of our HSI Special Agents’ investigative abilities that ultimately led to Oshensky’s federal charges and eventual guilty plea.”

Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for Dec. 2, 2022. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of 30 years 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 offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Johnstown Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Oshensky.

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 better 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.