Erie Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 26, 2012 |
ERIE, PA—A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 46 months in jail 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 Justin Winkelman, 22.
According to information presented to the court, Winkelman possessed computer images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
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 commented that Congress has taken a hard line with these types of cases because it is imperative that children be protected.
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 and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Winkelman.