Meadville man sentenced to state prison on child pornography charges

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 7—A Meadville man has been sentenced to state prison on multiple child pornography charges.

Judge Mark Stevens minced no words Friday in sentencing James Burger to a total of three years and nine months to nine years in state prison on a total of 100 counts related to child porn with 594 days credit. Stevens also ordered Burger to serve five years of probation upon his release from state prison and pay $450 in fines plus court costs.

"You knew it was wrong. You recognized what it was. You could have stopped, but you didn't," Stevens told Burger before handing down the sentence.

Burger pleaded guilty in county court in December to 49 counts of dissemination of photographs or films of child sex acts and 49 counts of possession of child pornography.

Burger, 33, of 782 Gasteiger Road, was arrested in July 2019 by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The arrest came about through the state police's Northwest Computer Crime Task Force. The arrest was culmination of an online investigation by New York State Police in which Burger first became involved in November, according to the probable cause affidavit filed by police in the case.

In online conversations with an undercover New York police investigator in November 2018, Burger was sent a photo of a girl he was told was 9 years old and allegedly said he would pay $100 to have sex with her, according to the affidavit.

Burger sent two links to the investigator in hopes of trading photos and videos, according to the affidavit. The first link contained 45 pornographic videos and pictures of children, some as young as toddlers, being sexually assaulted. The second contained 96 videos and pictures of adult and child pornography.

A subsequent police search of Burger's online storage service revealed more than 100 videos and photos of prepubescent girls engaged in sex acts with adult men, according to the affidavit.

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