Uniontown Man Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison and Lifetime Supervision for Making Live Videos of Himself Molesting a Child

PITTSBURGH, PA- A former resident of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 210 months’ imprisonment and lifetime supervised release on his conviction of production of visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence yesterday on Zachary Bosh, 39, following his July 12, 2022, guilty plea.

According to information presented to the court, on Friday, April 12, 2019, a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (UC) entered a public chat group titled #parentstoys, using an internet-based, free mobile application. The user “ascott5505,” later identified as Bosh, initiated a private chat with the UC. During the conversation, Bosh sent the UC approximately seven video clips and/or images of a minor victim, one of which depicted the sexual exploitation of the minor victim, and verified with the UC that the video clips and/or images were “live.” The Court was further informed of the full content and context of the communications between Bosh and the UC. Investigators were able to obtain emergency disclosures from the mobile application as well as internet service provider, enabling them to identify – on the same day – the residence where the video of the minor victim’s sexual exploitation had been produced. During a search of the residence, which also occurred that day, law enforcement seized bedsheets that matched the sheets visible in the video.

In imposing the sentence, of 210 month’s imprisonment and lifetime supervision, which is a guideline range sentence, Judge Hornak stated that he would not “reduce [the defendant’s] conduct to a descriptive term” – such as egregious or terrible – because it would not be “sufficient” and risked “minimizing” Bosh’s conduct. The Court explained that its sentence was “sufficient to fulfill the goals of sentencing” and “no greater than needed.” Based upon the evidence before it, the Court also found that the record “strongly suggests” that Bosh engaged in illicit conduct in the “past” and his statements to the UC expressed “desires” to engage in “more physical sexual” conduct in the future. To that end, in imposing lifetime supervision, the Court expressed its intent that this would deter Bosh and others from committing similar crimes.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

“This defendant will spend the next 17.5 years in prison for preying upon, exploiting and abusing a young girl who was under the defendant’s care for his own sexual gratification,” said Acting United States Attorney Rivetti. “This sentence sends a clear message that predatory crimes, such as child exploitation offenses, will continue to be vigorously prosecuted by this office.”

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti further praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the FBI Washington Field Office’s (WFO) Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force that conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Bosh.

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..