PITTSBURGH, Pa. - An Allegheny County man has been sentenced in federal court to 72 months imprisonment, 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. In advance of sentencing, Winter agreed to make a $2,000 restitution payment to the victim identified as "Vicky".
United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the sentence on Lawrence M. Winter, 45.
According to information presented to the court, on or about Nov. 2, 2010, Winter, a former Allegheny County Jail guard, was found to be in unlawful possession of thousands of still images and hundreds of videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, many of whom had not attained the age of 12 years and some of whom were depicted bound.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Pennsylvania State Police and the Moon Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Winter.
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
