The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Scranton man pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, in federal court, admitting to the receipt, distribution, and possession of thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Daniel Albert Mall, age 34, entered his guilty plea before Senior United States District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik.
The case against Mall stems from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Mall was indicted in July 2012 and charged with committing the offenses between 2001 and 2012. He was arrested on May 30, 2012.
Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
