Bradford Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

ERIE, PA—A former resident of Bradford, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. imposed the sentence on Michael Eugene Begin, 35.

According to information presented to the court, Begin utilized a cellular telephone and the Internet in an effort to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Begin also transported obscene material to a minor.

Launched in February 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cohill noted the defendant’s extremely lengthy history of sex offenses involving minor victims.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the City of Bradford Police Department, Chief Chris Lucco, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Begin.