A Washington County man has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for documenting acts of child sexual exploitation and abuse, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Sean Houston, 48, of Centerville also must pay nearly $29,000 — $13,700 in victim restitution and a $15,000 fine to the court, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said.
Upon his release from prison, by which he’s set to be in his mid- to late-70s, Houston will remain on probation for the rest of his life.
He had faced a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $750,000, according to Kaufman.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon ordered that Houston’s sentence be served consecutive to any prison terms imposed by a state court, where Houston has faced separate charges related to child rape.
Houston was convicted in federal court in Pittsburgh on two counts — for being responsible for both the production and possession of visual material depicting the sexual exploitation of a child — between May 2016 and October 2018, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the charges in January.
The fines imposed on Houston are based on the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted the case, which was initiated as part of Project Safe Childhood. The 15-year Department of Justice initiative encourages collaboration among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to stop child sexual exploitation and abuse, prosecute offenders and assist victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/psc/.
