A Somerset County man pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of possession of child pornography.

Steven Strang Jr., 37, of Athens appeared in U.S. District Court in Bangor before Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. and waived his right to have the case against him presented to a grand jury.

Strang came under investigation on June 15, 2015, when a federal agent from the Department of Homeland Security was able to download three child pornography files being offered online via Strang’s computer, according to a prosecution document filed with the court.

“When agents came to the defendant’s residence, they discovered the defendant’s computer, with internal hard drive, containing dozens of video files depicting child pornography. All of these videos showed actual children being sexually abused or exploited, and many of the videos showed the sexual abuse of actual prepubescent children under the age of 12,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Ruge wrote in the prosecution document.

The judge ordered Strang to be taken into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after pleading guilty.

Strang’s sentencing date was not immediately available. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of as much as $250,000.


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