Westmoreland County Resident Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Images of Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Avonmore, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 420 months in prison, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, on his convictions of production and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Kenneth Bee, 55.

According to information presented to the Court, over a period of several years, Bee produced images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Further, in and around September 2022, Bee possessed images of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pennsylvania State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Indiana County District Attorney's Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bee.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.