Delaware County Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Child Pornography Case

PHILADELPHIA—David Devine, 35, of Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for distribution and possession of child pornography. Devine pleaded guilty November 14, 2012, admitting that on August 17, 2009, he distributed, over the Internet, videos that depicted children being sexually abused, and, on August 4, 2010, he possessed in excess of 600 images of child pornography. Prior to his arrest, Devine had been a first grade teacher.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter ordered seven years’ supervised release, and ordered Devine to surrender to authorities to begin serving his sentence on February 16, 2012.

The case was investigated by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Rotella and Michael Levy.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Projectsafechildhood.gov.