Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Possessing Images Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Children

PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 10 months’ imprisonment, followed by 7 years’ supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to two child victims on his conviction of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States Senior District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Ryan Grasha, 25.

According to information presented to the court, on January 31, 2018, Grasha possessed approximately 250 images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were under the age of 12 years. Grasha obtained and distributed the sexually exploitive images over the Internet, using the "Omegle" and "Kik" peer-to-peer networks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Grasha.

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.justice.gov/psc.