McCandless Man Indicted on Child Exploitation Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 02, 2013 |
PITTSBURGH—An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of distribution, receipt, and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned on July 30, named Mark Janosko, 47, of 1649 Pin Oak Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about July 3, 2013, Janosko distributed images containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. The indictment further alleges that on or about July 3, 2013, Janosko received images containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. Finally, the indictment alleges that on or about July 19, 2013, Janosko possessed visual depictions, namely, images and videos in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Indiana County and Allegheny County District Attorney’s Offices and the McCandless Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.