Scranton Man Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Receiving And Distributing Child Pornography

SCRANTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 43-year-old Scranton resident was sentenced today to 16 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion in Scranton for receiving and distributing child pornography and violating conditions of his supervised release.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Marc Accardi, pleaded guilty in June 2015 to the charge that was filed initially in a Criminal Information. Accardi admitted that he used a cell phone to download and distribute images of child pornography during March-May 2015. He also admitted committing the offense while on supervised release in connection with a prior criminal case.

The charge against Accardi resulted from an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.

Judge Mannion also ordered Accardi to pay $2,200 in restitution to victims of the child pornography offense. Accardi must also serve 10 years on supervised release following his prison sentence, register as a sex offender, undergo sex offender treatment, and comply with sex offender registration requirements.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.

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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