PITTSBURGH – A Fayette County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, PA on charges involving the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The seven-count Superseding Indictment named Sean Ryan McKenzie, 37, formerly Perryopolis, PA, as the sole defendant.
According to the Superseding Indictment, on June 5, 2020, Dec. 13, 2020, and June 8, 2021, McKenzie attempted to and did use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any of such conduct. Further, the Superseding Indictment alleges that on March 1, 2022, McKenzie knowingly possessed visual depictions, namely, videos and images in computer graphic and digital files, the production of which involved the use of minors, including prepubescent minors who have not attained 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on June 5, 2020, Dec. 13, 2020, and Feb. 21, 2021, McKenzie knowingly attempted to transport and transported material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $1,750,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Homeland Security Investigations – Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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.justice.gov/psc.