Western District of Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh resident sentenced to 108 months in prison for receiving material related to sexual exploitation of minor

PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of the Western District of Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on his conviction for a federal crime involving receiving material relating to the sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Shawn Michael Hoffman, 41, after he pleaded guilty to this violation of federal law. In imposing the sentence, Judge Hardy emphasized the extremely serious nature of this federal offense and the harm the defendant had caused to the minor victim.

The indictment named Shawn Michael Hoffman, 41, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole suspect.

According to information presented to the court, in September 2019, Hoffman initiated online communications and solicited sexually explicit visual images of the minor. Hoffman also received visual images of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct via the internet and cell phone.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The investigation that led to the charges in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Abuse and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.