Man Faces Charges for Alleged Online Enticement and Attempted Child Pornography Production

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SCRANTON, PA — The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that an Indictment was returned by a grand jury this week charging a Monroe County man with attempted online enticement of a minor and attempted production of child pornography.

The Indictment alleges that Kenneth Lesser, age 49, a resident of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, used the internet and an electronic device to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a person who he believed to be 13 years old to engage in sexual conduct. Additionally, the indictment alleges that Lesser attempted to cause the production of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Allentown Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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 maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the Indictment is life 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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