Luzerne County Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Offense

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 22-year-old Hanover Township resident was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley for receiving child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Derek Pruveadenti previously admitted to using a computer to download images of child pornography between 2008 and March 8, 2011.

Pruveadenti was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2011, as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Judge Munley also ordered that Pruveadenti be placed on supervised release for 20 years following his prison sentence, pay a $500 fine, and pay a special assessment of $100. Pruveadenti will also have to undergo sex offender treatment and comply with sex offender registration requirements.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.