Bucks County Man Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

PHILADELPHIA, PA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Patrick Shaknitz, 29, of Croydon, PA, has been arrested and charged by Complaint with one count each of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography. These charges arise out of the defendant’s alleged distribution of images and videos of child pornography to others, including undercover federal agents, over the Internet.

According to the Complaint, beginning in November 2019, undercover federal agents exchanged private messages with a user identified as “intoeverything1991,” who distributed images and videos containing child pornography. One such video depicts an adult female in a dark blue face mask molesting a minor child. During chats with the agents, the same user described in explicit detail how he abused other children. Subpoenas issued for “intoeverything1991” revealed an IP address and other identifying information allegedly belonging to Shaknitz.

“As alleged in the Complaint, Shaknitz is a depraved abuser of children who multiplied the impact of that abuse by sharing images of it over the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “These children will have to deal with the impact of this abuse for the rest of their lives. We can never make them fully whole again, but we can bring them some measure of justice by investigating and prosecuting the people responsible for stealing their innocence.”

“The distribution of child pornography results in the continued sexual exploitation of innocent children,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “That’s what pushes the FBI to keep investigating these disturbing but important cases. Protecting kids is paramount and we’ll never give up that fight.”

If convicted, Shaknitz faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ incarceration with a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Deal.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.