Turtle Creek Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 11 years’ (132 months’) imprisonment, followed by 10 years’ supervised release on his conviction of distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence yesterday on Robert Bernal, Jr., 29.

According to information presented to the court, on December 3, 2015, Bernal distributed an image depicting the sexual exploitation of a prepubescent female over the Internet using the Skype application. Law enforcement officers were notified of the uploaded image after a report was submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A search warrant was then obtained and executed at Bernal’s residence. A search of a computer and cellular telephones seized during the search revealed hundreds of saved images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

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

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allegheny County Police Department, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Bernal, Jr.

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.