PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Philip W. Wagner, age 42, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on March 20, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Wagner’s South Side residence y members of the Western Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. A forensic review of a hard drive seized from the residence revealed thousands of images and multiple videos. Of these, law enforcement identified at least 600 images and several videos as material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.
Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for Feb. 13, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, and the Western Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Wagner.
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
