Pennsylvania man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for receiving and distributing child porn

SCRANTON, Pa. – Following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Rafael Polonia, 22, of Hazleton, Pa., was sentenced Thursday in federal court to 124 months in prison. Polonia previously pleaded guilty to using a computer to download and share child pornography videos. He was also ordered to serve a lifetime on supervised release following completion of his sentence, pay a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment.

"HSI is committed to stopping predators in their tracks and today's sentencing underscores that fact," said John P. Kelleghan, special agent in charge of HSI Philadelphia. "HSI is committed to protecting children, and bringing those who abuse children to justice."

According to court documents, Polonia sent the material over a peer-to-peer network in January.

In addition to the prison term, Polonia was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, pay a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.