Thomas Edward Grossman, Transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Pennsylvania 2024

Child Predator Caught: Defendant Transported Minor for Sex, Produced Explicit Content

ERIE, Pa. – In a shocking revelation, Thomas Edward Grossman, a 49-year-old former Tampa resident, pleaded guilty to two federal charges involving the sexual exploitation of a minor in a Erie, Pennsylvania court.

Grossman waived his right to a trial, opting to plead guilty to transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and sexual exploitation of a minor. The plea agreement, which was accepted by United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter, includes a recommended sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to the court documents, Grossman transported a minor female from Pennsylvania to West Virginia with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Additionally, he persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the West Virginia State Police, and the Summersville, West Virginia Police Department conducted the investigation that led to Grossman’s prosecution.

Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for December 17, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and not more than life, a fine of $250,000, or both.

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