PITTSBURGH, PA — Robert Pacek, a resident of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release for his involvement in child exploitation crimes. The verdict was announced on Friday, November 17, 2023.
United States District Court Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on the 52-year-old Pacek. The charges included conspiracy to receive and distribute, as well as possession and distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
As per court proceedings, while on probation for a prior state conviction for possession of child sexual abuse material, Pacek actively participated in a chat room on the Tor network dedicated to the discussion and exchange of child sexual abuse material. On February 28, 2021, he distributed five images depicting the sexual exploitation of young girls aged between 4 and 6 years old in that chat room.
Pacek admitted to using his neighbor’s router to access the Tor network and sharing links to the explicit material. A subsequent search of his cell phone revealed approximately 100 videos and 3,000 images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, including over 100 images showing the abuse of toddlers or infants.
Before passing the sentence, Judge Stickman emphasized the government’s paramount interest in the “protection of the innocence, safety, and integrity of our children”. He pointed out that Pacek played more than a “passive role” in distributing the images and often greeted new members to the chat room. Judge Stickman further stressed that the use of computers contributes to the widespread distribution of such material and that these offenses involve real minors.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gal-Or on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Pacek.
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