A Canonsburg man has faced a federal indictment with serious charges linked to the sexual exploitation of minors. The United States Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh named Justin A. Darby, 36, as a defendant facing 11 counts, as announced by U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
The indictment, as revealed in official court documents, accuses Darby of having received and attempted to receive materials depicting the minor's sexual exploitation on several dates between September and October 2021 and again in February 2024. Darby is also accused of distributing such material in September 2021. In addition, he is charged with having accessed websites knowing they contained such exploitative content and allegedly induced a minor to participate in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual materials of the act.
Details in the indictment further allege that Darby tampered with evidence by altering and concealing records on a messaging application on his cell phone. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. However, it must be underscored that an indictment is merely a charge, and Darby holds the presumption of innocence until possibly proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is tasked with prosecuting this grave case. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations spearheaded the investigation that led to Darby's indictment. This indictment stems from Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aiming to combat child exploitation and abuse by deploying both federal and local resources toward the apprehension and prosecution of offenders and the rescue of victims.
