Jamestown-area man gets seven years for child pornography

Apr. 24—A Crawford County man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for distributing child pornography.

Hank Thomas Fisher received the sentence Tuesday in federal court in Erie from U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.

Fisher also was ordered by Baxter to pay a total of $7,000 in restitution to two victims — $4,000 to one of the victims and $3,000 to another of the victims, according to court documents obtained by The Meadville Tribune.

Fisher, 22, who resides in South Shenango Township outside of Jamestown, had faced up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty before Baxter in federal court in late December 2023.

Fisher had no prior criminal record and the sentencing guideline range in the presentence investigation report was eight years and one month to 10 years and one month in jail, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Fisher's defense attorney, Grant Travis, and the government reached an agreed-upon term of seven years in jail and 15 years of supervised release which was accepted by Baxter on Tuesday.

Prior to imposing sentence, the judge noted the lifelong impact the crimes will have on the young victims depicted in the child sexual abuse material.

In February 2022, Fisher was indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie. According to the indictment, from March 2020 to August 2021 Fisher distributed images and videos depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He also possessed thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Fisher.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.