Home Philadelphia Press Releases 2010 Scranton Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography
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Scranton Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 03, 2010
  • Middle District of Pennsylvania (717) 221-4482

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a Scranton resident pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to possessing child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Robert Ward, age 42, admitted to possessing more than 10 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct during April 2008.

Ward was indicted by a grand jury on February 16, 2010, as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Scranton Police.

Ward faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2011.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

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