York Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today the indictment of Thomas A. O’Connor, age 44, of York, Pennsylvania. The indictment charges O’Connor with production, distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography after agents allegedly found images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on computers in O’Connor’s home.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice 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.

If convicted, O’Connor faces penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 in fines.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.

An indictment or information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the grand jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.