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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