HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Kerry Edward Tropasso, age 35, of Lebanon County, was indicted on Nov. 16, 2016, by a federal grand jury on charges relating to the sexual abuse of children.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that Tropasso used a minor victim to transmit live visual depictions of the minor engaged in sexual activity; coercing and enticing the minor to engage in sexual activity; distributing images depicting the sexual abuse of a minor; and receiving obscene visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Lancaster County Detectives Office and the Northern Lebanon Township Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl Bloom.
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.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources."
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses life 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
