Luzerne County Man Charged with Receiving Child Pornography
Martin C. Carlson, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a federal grand jury Tuesday returned an indictment charging a Luzerne County man with receiving child pornography.
Carlson stated that Stephen Humanik, age 22, Hanover, Pennsylvania, is charged with committing the offense between February 2008 and April 11, 2008.
Humanik’s charge stems from an investigation by the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Scranton Police Department. Carlson stated that Humanik faces a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charge.
Carlson noted that the investigation and prosecution of Humanik are part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Carlson noted that Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
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An indictment and criminal information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proved the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
