Scranton Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Nicholas Pinto, age 30, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik to a 180-month term of imprisonment for production of child pornography. Judge Kosik further ordered that Pinto serve a lifetime of supervised release following his release from prison and pay a $1,000 fine.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Pinto was indicted on September 2, 2008, following a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Scranton Police Department into the production of child pornography. During the course of the investigation, Pinto was identified by several minor victims who reported that Pinto had video taped them on separate occasions engaging in sexually explicit conduct that depicted images of bondage.

A forensic examination was conducted on two digital cameras and a video camera that were seized from Pinto. The examination revealed over 180 sadomasochistic videos involving minor victims, some as young as 4 years old.

On May 12, 2010, Pinto pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.

This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.