Pittsburgh-area man indicted on child pornography charges

PITTSBURGH — An Allegheny County resident was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday in Pittsburgh on charges of receipt and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges follow an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Mark A. Chasey, 49, of Crescent, was charged in a four-count indictment. If convicted, he faces up to 70 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both.

According to the indictment, in November 2012, Chasey knowingly received and possessed digital images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The investigation is part of HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE 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.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.