Former Monessen Man Facing Prison Time

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Monessen, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction of production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced on Thursday.  United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Stefan Sweeney, 36.  According to information presented to the Court, Sweeney produced a video depicting the sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old girl.  In imposing the sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that a 20-year term of imprisonment reflected a balance between the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility and the serious nature of his crimes. Authorities say this case was brought as 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.