John R. Young, Producing Child Pornography, Pennsylvania 2023

Easton Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

PHILADELPHIA – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, John R. Young, 47, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 360 months of imprisonment and lifetime supervised release for producing child pornography. Young was also ordered to forfeit various electronic devices and victim restitution to be determined at a later date.

According to court documents, the FBI had been investigating a site on the dark web dedicated to child pornography. The investigation identified Young as a user of the website who had posted child pornography there.

On October 17, 2023, FBI and other law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Young’s residence and seized various electronic devices. Young’s devices were found to contain thousands of images of child pornography, including one that Young had produced and posted to the website. Young admitted to law enforcement that he was a user of the dark web site and that he produced the image of child pornography found on the website, which involved a child under 10 years old. Young also admitted that he possessed other images of child pornography on his devices. Finally, Young admitted using a secret video recording device disguised to look like a pen to attempt to produce additional child pornography.

On October 17, 2023, the FBI arrested Young, and in June of this year, he pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

“Not only was John Young a prolific collector of child pornography, he sexually exploited a child to produce such an image and shared it with other predators,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “His actions are unconscionable. My office and the FBI are working every day to find and bring to justice anyone victimizing children by creating or trading these horrible images of sexual abuse.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia's Allentown Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Boscia and Kyle Reynolds.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/easton-man-sentenced-30-years-prison-producing-child-pornography