Export Man Charged with Threatening Postal Inspector, Possessing Child Porn

PITTSBURGH—A resident of Westmoreland County, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of threatening to murder, intimidate, interfere or retaliate against a Federal official and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on June 26, 2012, named Todd Markley, 48, formerly of 5814 Torrance Drive, Export, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on or about May 31, 2012, Markley threatened to assault and murder a United States Postal Inspector of the United States Postal Inspection Service with intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with and retaliate against the Postal Inspector while she was engaged in her official duties. The indictment also charges that on or about April 12, 2012, Markley possessed visual depictions, namely, images in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Markley is currently being detained in the Butler County Jail.

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.