Pittsburgh man sentenced for having child celebrity porn that was digitally modified

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh man was sentenced for having modified child sexual abuse material of child celebrities.

According to the Department of Justice, James Smelko, 57, was sentenced to 14 years and seven months in prison on two counts of child pornography-related charges.

>> Pittsburgh man convicted of having child celebrity porn that was digitally modified

According to officials, Smelko was found to have photos of child actors that were digitally modified so they were nude or were engaged in sexual acts. The photos were found when law enforcement went through his computer in his Pittsburgh home.

While awaiting trial, Smelko was found to have violated the conditions of his release by having photos of the same nature again. The photos were found after concerning searches and images were detected by court-mandated monitoring software on his cell phone.

In November 2023, a federal jury in Pittsburgh convicted Smelko of one count of possessing child pornography and one count of accessing with the intent to view child pornography.

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