Former Public School Teacher Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Prison for Collecting Child Pornography

ERIE, PA—A former teacher, coach, and referee has been sentenced in federal court to 235 months in prison and 30 years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin imposed the sentence on David A. Rinke II, 40, of Erie.

According to information presented to the court, over the last 15 years Rinke amassed a collection of more than 50,000 images and movies depicting the sexual assault and rape of children, some as young as infants. Rinke, a former chemistry teacher at Collegiate Academy in Erie, also possessed on his computer groin shots of youths at what appeared to be high school sporting events. Rinke was caught when he distributed child pornography to an undercover FBI agent in Phoenix.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge McLaughlin stated that Rinke was a predatory pedophile who represented a clear and present danger to the community.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rinke.