PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In a chilling sentence handed down on June 3, 2024, Michael Moran, a 66-year-old resident of South Park, Pennsylvania, was slammed with a 130-month prison term for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan revealed.
Moran, who pleaded guilty to the heinous charges in October 2022, will also serve seven years of supervised release under the stern gaze of Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.
Details of Moran’s monstrous actions were laid bare during the court proceedings. It was alleged that in August 2018, Moran uploaded over 200 images of child sexual assault to Flickr/SmugMug, a virtual smorgasbord for pedophiles and predators alike.
The FBI and Allegheny County Police Department’s relentless investigation led to a search warrant at Moran’s residence. There, officers retrieved mountains of electronic devices, including computers, tablets, phones, and hard drives brimming with child exploitation material. The prosecution also highlighted that Moran had publicly posted explicit images of minors, which were subsequently favorited by other users.
Judge Fischer acknowledged the severity of Moran’s offense, noting Congress’s deliberate tough stance on child pornography. She emphasized how the use of computers facilitates such crimes while shrouding them from public view. The court also considered Moran’s admission to sexually assaulting a minor with autism in the distant past.
Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Brown led the prosecution against Moran. In praising the investigation, Olshan commended both the FBI and Allegheny County Police Department for their unwavering commitment to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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