Jacob Kolonis, Production and Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse Materials, Pennsylvania 2022

A southwest Pennsylvania man is behind bars for a decade after being sentenced for producing and attempting to produce child sexual abuse materials. Jacob Kolonis, 29, was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment (20 years) by United States District Judge Robert J. Colville, followed by 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution totaling $9,000 to his minor victims.

According to court documents, Kolonis threatened seven minor females with the intent to extort them for nude and sexually explicit images. On three occasions, Kolonis directed the minors to create and send videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct over Snapchat.

The crimes took place in Washington and Duncansville, Pennsylvania. United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced the sentencing in a press release on [current date].

Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. U.S. Attorney Chung commended Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General–Child Predator Unit, the Bethel Park Police Department, the South Fayette Township Police Department, and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office (Ohio) for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Kolonis.

United States District Judge Robert J. Colville acknowledged that Kolonis engaged in exceptionally serious conduct and recognized the immense impact of Kolonis’ crime on his victims.

Kolonis was convicted of three counts of production and attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, as directed by the plea hearing on February 9, 2022. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The case number for this matter is [available upon request].

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