Moosic man charged after investigation into child sexual abuse materials
A Moosic man faces hundreds of charges for possessing child sexual abuse material after investigators discovered children engaging in prohibited acts on his computer and other electronic devices, according to a criminal complaint.
Lucas Kelsey, 3603 Springer St., is charged with 201 counts of child sexual abuse material possession and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
On Feb. 12, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Microsoft that one file of apparent child pornography was uploaded or provided as a URL by someone using Bing Image, according to a criminal complaint filed by Caitlin Smith, a special agent with the Child Predator Section of the Pennsylvania attorney general's office.
According to the cyber tip, the image included a nude female, approximately 6 to 8 years old, and an adult male performing a sexual act.
After sending an administrative subpoena to Comcast for subscriber information related to the IP address used to upload or scan the image to Bing, the company informed Smith it pertained to Kelsey at the Moosic address, according to the criminal complaint.
Additionally, an intelligence analyst with the attorney general's office conducted an online records search for the address and found Kelsey had public records associated with the address, investigators said.
On May 8, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Kelsey's residence on electronics and other evidence related to the investigation, according to the criminal complaint. Kelsey told officials he was the only person living at the address and had been for the last five years, but refused to answer any other questions, investigators said.
Kelsey (Courtesy Lackawanna County Central Processing)
While on scene, computer forensics special agents found approximately 201 files depicting minor children engaged in prohibited sexual acts and/or indecent contact on several devices, including a laptop and several USB drives, according to the criminal complaint.
As of Monday, Kelsey, 43, remained in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 23 at 11:30 a.m.
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