PITTSBURGH, PA — A resident of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release for possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. The convict, Karl D. Lutes, 52, was also ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution. The sentencing was announced on Thursday, January 4, 2024, by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Lutes. The evidence presented to the court at the time of Lutes’s guilty plea revealed that he had been sharing images over the internet that depicted the sexual exploitation of minors.
The case against Lutes emerged from an investigation conducted by agents of Homeland Security Investigations. On February 11, 2020, these agents executed a search warrant at Lutes’s residence, where they discovered hundreds of videos and still images in computer graphics files showing the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were under the age of 12.
While announcing the sentence, Judge Bissoon emphasized that the 51-month prison term served multiple purposes: to protect the public, to provide just punishment, and to afford Lutes with needed rehabilitation. She further highlighted the Victim Impact Statements submitted to the court, which provided a glimpse into the real harm inflicted on children as a result of crimes involving their sexual exploitation.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the diligent work of the Homeland Security Investigations team, whose efforts led to the successful prosecution of Lutes.
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