Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Crawford County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges



ERIE, PA—A former resident of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Eric Lee Stafford, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Stafford distributed and possessed computer images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Judge McLaughlin scheduled sentencing for February 4, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of sixty years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

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

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.justice.gov/psc.

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