Luzerne man convicted of producing child pornography
LUZERNE BOROUGH, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man from Luzerne Borough was found guilty by a jury of his peers of producing child pornography.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John Vincent Watson, 47, of Luzerne, Pennsylvania, was convicted after a jury trial of the production of child pornography.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the evidence at trial proved that between October 23 and 24, 2021, Watson produced four videos and one still image of child pornography in Wilkes-Barre.
The videos and images showed Watson having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl, posing her in the nude for the camera, and giving her alcohol.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to entice and sexually exploit children
After two days of testimony, the jury found Watson guilty on all counts after deliberating for less than 30 minutes.
“One of HSI’s primary missions is to protect children from dangerous predators who seek
to exploit them for their own greed or self-gratification. Watson’s conviction sends a clear message that HSI and our partner agencies will devote every resource available to investigating, prosecuting, and convicting those who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia William S. Walker.
United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani has scheduled Watson’s sentencing for
April 2024.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 15 to 150 years in prison, a term of supervised release, and a fine.
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