Suspected child pornographer charged after ICE probe

PHILADELPHIA — A Berwick, Pennsylvania, man was indicted on child pornography production charges Tuesday in federal court. The indictment follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Berwick Police Department, and the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office.

Rickie Sitler, age 57, allegedly persuaded and induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images. The indictment alleges that Sitler committed the crime between November 2014 and Dec. 20, 2014.

If convicted, Sitler faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

Indictments and criminal informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

This investigation was conducted under 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 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. 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.