Lebanon Man Sentenced For Distribution Of Child Pornography
Friday, July 4, 2025, 8:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
HARRISBURG, PA.- A 36-year-old Lebanon, Pennsylvania, man will be spending a little over the next seven years after being sentenced last Thursday for distributing nearly 2,000 digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of prepubescent and pubescent children.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Stephen Okamoto, 36, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Keli M. Neary to 85 months in federal prison, after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Neary ordered Okamoto to serve a term of supervised release, and upon completion of his federal term of imprisonment, to register as a sex offender in the national registry.
According To Court Documents
According to court documents, during an internet child pornography investigation, Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Detectives of the Derry Township Police Department identified an IP address that was sharing a collection of media files containing child pornography over BitTorrent software. The IP address was ultimately traced to Okamoto’s residence.
Following the identification of the IP address, Federal Agents and local law enforcement executed a court-authorized search warrant at Okamoto’s residence. During the search, multiple electronic devices were seized. During a subsequent forensic examination of the devices, Investigators uncovered over 1,900 media files containing child pornography.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gurganus commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Derry Township Police Department, which led to the successful prosecution of Okamoto.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
