WILLIAMSPORT — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Tony A. Vonneida, age 63, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Brann for sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, in 2014, Vonneida coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. Vonneida committed the acts while he was required to register as a sex offender under Pennsylvania law. Vonneida also knowingly possessed digital images that contained images of child pornography including minors who had not attained 12 years of age that had been mailed, or shipped or transported in interstate commerce.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur 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."
# # #
