SCRANTON – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, Harold Schrader, a 69-year-old resident of Sayre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing child pornography and participating in a wire fraud scheme.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Schrader pleaded guilty in January 2015 to charges filed in November 2014. Schrader admitted to possessing child pornography on a computer in 2012 and participating in a fraud scheme during 2008-2011. The fraud scheme involved using the internet to solicit overseas loans from others totaling more than $200,000, which were never repaid.
The charges against Schrader resulted from an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy also ordered Schrader to pay $232,500 in restitution to victims of the fraud scheme. Schrader must also serve five years on supervised release following his prison sentence, register as a sex offender, undergo sex offender treatment, and comply with sex offender registration requirements.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa. 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.
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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
In related news, the public is reminded to be vigilant when using the internet and to report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the sentencing, which took place in Scranton on an unknown date.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Furman, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Pennsylvania 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Donald Smith, Wire Fraud, Pennsylvania 2019 · Pennsylvania
- Christopher Furman, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Pennsylvania 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Christopher Furman, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Pennsylvania 2009 · California
- Irina Segal, Medicare Fraud, Pennsylvania 2023 · California
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
