A former Canonsburg, Pennsylvania resident has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for crimes related to the sexual exploitation of minors and destruction of evidence. Justin Darby, 37, received his sentence on August 27, 2025, from United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. In addition to the prison term, Darby will serve ten years of supervised release and must pay $28,000 in restitution to his victims.
The court was informed that on October 28, 2021, Darby intentionally altered and destroyed records from an instant messaging application on his cell phone with the intent to obstruct an investigation into child sexual exploitation offenses as agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation attempted to execute a search warrant at his residence. On February 6, 2024, he was convicted for attempting to induce and inducing a minor to send him sexually explicit images via a social media platform. Darby also admitted responsibility for further offenses involving three other minors who were induced during 2023 and early 2024 to send him similar visual depictions through text messages and social media.
Judge Ranjan noted that the sentence reflected Darby's lack of respect for the law and ongoing criminal conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted the case. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti acknowledged the efforts of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations in bringing about this prosecution.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources among federal, state, and local agencies. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
