Center County man federally charged with child pornography

SCRANTON, Pa. (WTAJ) – A Center County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of production and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

William Welsh, 28, of State College, allegedly “enlisted” a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct on January 15, 2023, according to the indictment. Welsh is also alleged to be in possession of images of minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit content.

The case was brought to court as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006. The project aims to combat the ‘growing epidemic’ of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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The maximum penalty under federal law for this crime is 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release after prison, and a fine. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is prosecuting the case.

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