February 3, 2010 - Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Covington Township man with using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct.
Pfannenschmidt stated that John Swenski, age 31, allegedly committed the offense during December 2009 and January 2010.
Pfannenschmidt noted that the indictment resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Scranton Police, and Covington Township Police.
If convicted on the charge, Swenski faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture to the United States of a 2001 Ford pick-up truck allegedly used by Swenski to attempt to meet with the minor.
Pfannenschmidt noted that 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 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Pfannenschmidt noted that Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
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