PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Ross Township, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his convictions of production and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.Chief United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Ralph Talerico, 46, on July 15, 2026.According to information presented to the Court, in and around June through July 2023, Talerico produced videos of two children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, on or about June 6, 2024, Talerico possessed videos and still images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were prepubescent and under 12 years of age.Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Talerico.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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice