PITTSBURGH - A Lawrence County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Bradley Richard Moore, 44, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Moore posted an ad on Craigslist seeking to "participate in real incest." A Special Agent of the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General working in an undercover capacity posed as an adult male and responded to this advertisement. During communications with the advertisement’s poster, the undercover agent stated that he was a father of a 12-year-old boy who would be open to a sexual relationship with the poster. On Oct. 14, 2017, Moore knowingly traveled from Ohio to Cranberry, Twp., Pennsylvania, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with the child.
United States District Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing June 13, 2018, at 9 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000.00, a term of lifetime supervised release, or any or all. 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Moore.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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
