A former Delmont man was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison following a guilty plea on charges of possession of child pornography, according to Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan.

Joshua K. Minehart, 47, was initially charged in 2019 following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. After consenting to search his devices, federal agents recovered 40 videos of child pornography.

Several videos were of children under the age of 12, according to federal court records.

Following the announcement of the charges and after being granted bond, federal officials said Minehart was caught sending sexually explicit messages about underage girls, including references to children Minehart claimed to have babysat.

“There is no evidence that any of these ‘fantasies’ happened,” Olshan wrote in a federal sentencing memorandum. “Whether he did any of this in real life is not the end-all-be-all. The fact that he was messaging about sexual acts with children again while on federal pretrial supervision shows that he does not respect the law and that he is a risk to (re-offend) when released.”

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Justice Department. Since its launch, federal prosecutions for sexual exploitation of children have increased by 40%.

“Even though Mr. Minehart was only charged with possessing child pornography, possessors are the ones who create the demand for it,” Olshan said.

Multiple victims in the case have requested restitution, Olshan said. Their information was forwarded to Minehart’s attorneys to begin negotiations.

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