Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of South Park, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on June 3, 2024, to 130 months of incarceration, to be followed by seven years of supervised release, on his convictions of distribution and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Michael Moran, 66, after he pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2022.
According to information presented to the Court, Moran uploaded more than 200 images of child sexual assault material to Flickr/SmugMug in August 2018. Subsequent investigation by the FBI and Allegheny County Police led to the Western Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force executing a search warrant at Moran’s South Park residence. There, law enforcement officers seized multiple computers, tablets, phones, hard drives, and other electronic equipment, many of which contained child sexual abuse material including photos and videos. Law enforcement also determined that Moran had publicly posted sexually explicit images of minors to his Flickr accounts that were then marked as favorites by other users.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer noted the seriousness of Moran’s conduct and that Congress had purposely made penalties for child pornography offenses harsh. She also stated that use of a computer makes the crime easier to perpetrate but more difficult for the public to know of a defendant’s wrongdoing. In determining the sentence, the Judge also considered Moran’s admission that he had sexually assaulted a minor with autism decades earlier.
Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Brown prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Moran.