Former Pittsburgh firefighter faces federal prison in sex case
A former Pittsburgh firefighter pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to traveling to Virginia to have sex with what he believed was a 10-year-old girl and her mother.
Brian Kosanovich, 58, will be sentenced on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity on March 3.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia, Kosanovich went on Alt.com, a website for members interested in alternative types of sexual relationships, in November.
He began chatting with an undercover FBI employee, whom he believed was a single mother of a 10-year-old daughter.
For several months, the prosecution said Kosanovich and the undercover officer had extensive conversations of a sexually explicit nature — focused often on him having sex with the child and her mother. In addition to talking to the mother, the prosecution said Kosanovich believed he was messaging the child, as well.
Kosanovich sent nude photos of himself and a prepaid, $200 Visa card so that the woman could buy sex toys to use with the child, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
He was arrested at a Chili’s restaurant in Midlothian, Virginia, on Feb. 18, when he traveled from Pittsburgh to meet them.
Kosanovich, who has resigned from the city, faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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