James Clark, a 39-year-old resident of the Carrick neighborhood in Pittsburgh, was sentenced on July 20 to 360 months in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release after being convicted of sex trafficking a child and producing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence after Clark was found guilty on one count of sex trafficking of a minor and six counts of sexual exploitation of children. The sentences will run concurrently. Clark is also required to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Information presented in court indicated that Clark provided housing to a female runaway minor and produced images showing her engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, he trafficked the girl to another individual in exchange for allowing her continued shelter at his residence.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky prosecuted the case. Rivetti commended both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allegheny County Police Department for their roles in investigating and prosecuting Clark.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Individuals who are victims or have information about human trafficking are encouraged to contact law enforcement or call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or submit tips online at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking.