Jury Convicts Former Titusville Man of Child Pornography Offenses

ERIE, PA—After deliberating approximately three hours, a federal jury found Craig Alan Finley guilty of four counts of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Finley, 34, was tried before Senior United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. in Erie, Pennsylvania.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that Finley used his cell phone to produce videos of himself sexually assaulting a 10-year-old male. These videos were then distributed on the Internet. The evidence also revealed that Finley received and was in possession of over 30,000 images and movies depicting minors, many younger than 10 years of age, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Finley also distributed his enormous collection of child pornography to others on the Internet.

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.

Judge Cohill scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 80 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Finley.