Turtle Creek Resident Indicted on 20 Counts of Sexually Exploiting Minors

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

The 20-count Indictment named Robert Bookshar, 46, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, on multiple occasions from in and around August 2022 until in and around May 2023, Bookshar attempted to and did use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce two different minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. The Indictment further charges that, on multiple occasions from in and around September 2021 until in and around February 2023, Bookshar attempted to and did receive images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, and that, on or about June 29, 2023, Bookshar knowingly possessed images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 440 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, 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. Bookshar is detained pending trial.

Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

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.

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