Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Violent Child Pornography Images and Videos



PITTSBURGH—A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possessing child pornography, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

James E. Tronsberg, 25, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Gary L. Lancaster.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on January 27, 2010, Tronsberg possessed visual depictions, in the form of numerous still images and videos contained in computer graphics files, that depicted minors, some of whom had not reached the age of 12, engaging in sex acts. Some of the pornographic videos involved acts which were sadistic, masochistic, or otherwise violent in nature.

Judge Lancaster scheduled sentencing for January 25, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pittsburgh High Tech Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of James Tronsberg.

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