A 38-year-old New Jersey man has admitted to producing child pornography by exploiting a minor through a smartphone app. Michael Janeski of Edison, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to one count of production of child pornography.
Janeski admitted to authorities that between November 2015 and February 2016, he used a web-enabled cell phone application to coerce a minor into engaging in illegal sexual activity. During that time, he captured and stored explicit images of the child on a cloud-based storage system, federal prosecutors said. The act constitutes a severe federal crime under U.S. child exploitation laws.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Northern York County Regional Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Schinnour is leading the prosecution. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the rising epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
Project Safe Childhood mobilizes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children. It also prioritizes locating and rescuing victims. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
Janeski now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years behind bars, along with a term of supervised release and potential fines. The final sentence will be determined by the presiding judge after reviewing federal sentencing guidelines, the nature and severity of the offense, and the defendant’s personal history.
Federal sentencing statutes require the court to weigh multiple factors, including deterrence, public safety, and rehabilitative needs. As such, the statutory maximum does not necessarily reflect the actual sentence Janeski will serve. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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