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 on October 18, 2021, Jerald Ungerer, age 34, formerly of Milford, Pennsylvania, pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to production of child pornography.

According to Acting United States Attorney, Bruce D. Brandler, Ungerer admitted to producing multiple videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Northeast Computer Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched 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."

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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