Thursday, February 23, 2017
Staff report
PITTSBURGH
A former Lawrence County, Pa., resident has been sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by 12 years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Sean J. Barner, 38, formerly of New Bedford, Pa., drew the sentence Wednesday from U.S. District Court Judge Mark R. Hornak, who imposed no fine due to Barner’s inability to pay.
On March 28, 2015, Barner illegally possessed computer graphic files containing photographs and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
He unlawfully possessed thousands of those photos and videos, which he obtained and made available to others through a peer-to-peer sharing network, the U.S. Attorney said.
Under federal law, Barner could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined up to $250,000.
Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case.