Butler County Man Charged with Transporting Minors for Sex

James Mark Leroy, 54, of Renfrew, Pennsylvania, is behind bars and facing federal charges after being indicted for transporting minors across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The four-count indictment, returned November 9 and unsealed yesterday, paints a harrowing picture of sexual exploitation spanning nearly a decade.

Leroy is accused of traveling out of state on two separate occasions, bringing minors with him for the purpose of sexual abuse. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, evidence presented in Pittsburgh federal court shows Leroy sexually exploited four minor children between 2009 and 2016 — both at his home and during interstate trips. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life behind bars, along with a $1,000,000 fine.

Following a detention hearing before Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan, Leroy was ordered held without bond, deemed a danger to the community and a flight risk. Authorities say Detective John Hertzog of Butler County testified that Leroy made both direct and indirect attempts to obstruct the investigation, further sealing his fate ahead of trial.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Penn Township Police, and Butler County authorities. Assistant United States Attorneys Soo C. Song and Heidi M. Grogan are leading the prosecution, underscoring the federal government’s aggressive stance on crimes against children.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation. The program leverages federal, state, and local resources to track down predators, dismantle networks, and rescue victims — often before more abuse occurs.

Federal officials are urging anyone with information about additional victims of James Mark Leroy to contact the FBI’s Pittsburgh Division at 412-432-4000. An indictment is not a conviction — Leroy is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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