Schuylkill County middle school teacher charged with receiving and distributing child pornography

POTTSVILLE, Pa. – A Pennsylvania man, who has been employed as a 7th and 8th grade teacher at the St. Clair Elementary and Middle School for several years, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for receiving and distributing child pornography. This investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Todd Evans, 27, of St. Clair, Pa., used a computer to download and distribute images of child pornography between October 2011 and Dec. 7, 2011. The investigation is continuing and includes efforts to identify victims and inform the appropriate authorities, including parents and schools where it is possible to do so.

If Evans is convicted of the charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.

This investigation is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE 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. ICE HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline 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 and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

The charge against Allen resulted from an investigation by special agents with ICE HSI, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Schuylkill County District Attorney's Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa, Middle District of Pennsylvania.