PITTSBURGH—Two residents of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a child, and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The 11-count indictment, returned on August 11 and unsealed today, named Robert Allen Middlebrook, 40, of Clairton, Pennsylvania, and Kiari Nicole Day, 26, of Rankin, Pennsylvania, as the defendants.

According to the indictment, in February 2015, Middlebrook and Day knowingly entered into an agreement to conspire to recruit for sex trafficking four female minors who had not attained the age of 18 years. Also, in February 2015, Middlebrook and Day knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided and obtained four female minors, Minors A, B, C, D, to engage in commercial sex acts. The indictment further charges that in February 2015 Middlebrook conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin.

For Middlebrook, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of $2,750,000, and a term of supervised release for any term of years not less than five, and up to life, or any or all. For Day, the law provides for a sentence of not less than 10 years, nor more than life, a fine of $1,250,000, and a term of supervised release for any term of years not less than five, and up to life, or any or all. 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 defendants.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Lieber Smolar and Katherine A. King are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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.