A Scranton man was sentenced to up to 24 years behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple charges of possession of child pornography and failure to comply with sex offender registration requirement earlier this year.
Andrew Ultsh, 44, was arrested last year following reports by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of suspected files of child sexual abuse material being viewed and uploaded via Facebook and Instagram accounts, according to Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher.
ULTSH
Subsequent investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce yielded 22 files of children under the age of 18 engaged in prohibited sexual acts.
“Today’s significant sentence sends a strong and unmistakable message: those who exploit children will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice,” Gallagher said.
Ultsh, who was previously convicted in 2017 of possession of child pornography and required to register annually, was also found to be in violation of Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act based on the unreported social media accounts.
This case was investigated by Detective Jack Kane and Detective Sheryl Turner of the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, along with members of the ICAC Taskforce and the Northeast Computer Crimes Division of the Pennsylvania State Police. Deputy District Attorney Bo Loughney prosecuted the case.
Ultsh was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison on the charges, followed by three years of supervised probation. Additionally Lackawanna County Judge Andrew J. Jarbola ordered Ultsh to register according to the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Registration and Notification Act for life.