PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Tampa, Florida, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Thomas Edward Grossman, 47, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment presented to the court, in and around August 2022, Grossman traveled from Florida to the Western District of Pennsylvania for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual activity with a minor. The indictment also alleges that Grossman transported a minor female from Pennsylvania to West Virginia with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
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 (CEOS), 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.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life 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 offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the West Virginia State Police and the Summersville, West Virginia Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
