PHILADELPHIA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Bo Branstetter, 30, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with attempted use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

The defendant appeared in federal court today for an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth L. Toplin and has been ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.

The indictment alleges that, from about June 13, 2026, to June 23, 2026, Branstetter used the internet and cellular phone service to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense, that is, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and statutory sexual assault. 

As further alleged, also in June of this year, Branstetter attempted to transfer obscene content to a person he believed to be a minor under 16 years of age. 

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years’ imprisonment.

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and the Bensalem Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Sendek.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.