A York man will spend the next 35 years behind bars for creating and distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday.
Thomas A. O’Connor, 46, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after agents found images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on computers in his home.
Investigators say O’Connor received and distributed sexually explicit videos of young boys under the age of 12.
He plead guilty to the charges of production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography.
O’Connor later confessed to sexually abusing a young special needs child for several years.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
Led by the U.S. Attorney’s offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit the program’s website at http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.