New Kensington man gets 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography

A federal judge on Friday sentenced a New Kensington man to 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography, including more than 100 photos showing infants and toddlers being sexually abused.

Robert Pacek, 53, pleaded guilty in December to seven counts of distributing images of children being sexually abused using a website on the Tor network.

Before sentencing Pacek, Judge William S. Stickman said there is no more important government interest than “the protection of the innocence, safety and integrity of our children.”

Stickman said Pacek played more than a “passive role” in distributing child pornography, which he said involves real children. The judge noted Pacek made “callous” comments when posting images and regularly greeted new members to the chat room.

“There is no crime more serious in our district than the violation of the innocence of toddlers,” Stickman said.

Federal prosecutors said Pacek was an “active participant” in a chat room dedicated to discussing and exchanging child pornography. On Feb. 28, 2021, he distributed five photos of girls between the ages of 4 and 6 being sexually abused.

Investigators said Pacek admitted to using his neighbor’s router to access the Tor network and share links to the photos.

When authorities searched his cellphone, they found 100 videos and 3,000 images of child pornography, including more than 100 photos involving toddlers or infants.

Previous child porn conviction

Pacek also was arrested for child pornography in 2017 while living in the 300 block of Murray Avenue in Arnold. He was charged with nearly 30 child porn counts after he admitted to investigators he exchanged explicit images involving children online.

Pacek told agents with the state Attorney General’s Office that he used Yahoo Messenger to exchange child pornography. Police also found a laptop he admitted to using for child pornography, according to his arrest papers.

In August 2018, Pacek pleaded guilty to 21 counts of possession of child pornography and a count of criminal use of a communications facility, which are felonies, according to court records.

He was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison for each of the 21 counts. He also was required to register with the state Megan’s Law database of sexual offenders, court records show.