HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Damion Phillip Gress, age 25, of Franklin County, was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for offenses involving the exploitation of minors.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Gress pleaded guilty to persuading and using a minor to produce images of child pornography between August 2015 and October 2016. Gress also produced images of child pornography in July 2016 involving a second victim. Gress also received images of child pornography and possessed thousands of images of child pornography on August 12, 2019.
Judge Wilson also ordered Gress to pay restitution in the amount of $54,000 to his victims.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Christian Haugsby prosecuted the case.
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. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.”
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