PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A Washington County man has been sentenced in federal court to 70 months imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years supervised release, on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Kevin Zajack, 47, of Charleroi, Pa.
According to information presented to the court, on or about May 3, 2011, Zajack possessed visual depictions, namely, images and videos in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Ambrose emphasized that the crime to which the defendant pled guilty is a crime of violence with real victims. She agreed with the defendant's statement that he hoped others involved with child pornography will learn from his example.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Zajack.
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
