Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Robert Redding, 43, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 35 years' imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert for child pornography offenses. Judge Pappert also ordered Redding to pay $25,000 in restitution to the minor victims.

The defendant was charged by indictment in March of last year with one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. In August, he pleaded guilty to all charges.

As detailed in court filings and statements, Redding had previously served more than a decade in prison for hands-on sexual offenses committed against a 13-year-old girl, and after his release, was required to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.

While still under the supervision of Pennsylvania State Parole, Redding resumed his criminal activities, this time by participating in an online child pornography community, trading videos depicting children, including some as young as babies and toddlers, being raped by adult men, and uploading images of child sexual abuse to online accounts.

The defendant committed some of these new crimes while residing at Kintock Residential Reentry Center as a condition of his state parole and used at least one electronic device unknown to and unauthorized by his parole officer, to commit some of the offenses.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Eileen Castilla Geiger.