PITTSBURGH - A Fayette County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Ronald Rhodes, 58, of Uniontown, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.
In connection with the guilty plea, on or about April 3, 2014, Rhodes distributed a video containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
Chief Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for Oct. 14, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Rhodes.
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
