PITTSBURGH—A resident of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 36 months’ imprisonment, followed by eight years’ supervised release, on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill imposed the sentence on Jeremy S. Burnworth, 36, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, on or about June 2, 2014, Burnworth knowingly possessed images in digital files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Reserve Township Police Department, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for conducting the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Burnworth.

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.