Canonsburg man pleads guilty to using cell phone to access child porn

A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court to accessing lewd images and videos of underage children on his cell phone, prosecutors said.

Robert Fichter, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

Fichter was caught as part of a Homeland Security investigation, which revealed that he used an Android cell phone running BitTorrent software to access, view and download child pornography, Brady said.

Authorities conducted a federal raid of Fichter’s home in May 2018, during which they seized Fichter’s cell phone, Brady said.

A forensic review of the cell phone uncovered images and videos of child pornography, some of which involved children under 12 years old, as well as violent sexual conduct, Brady said.

Fichter’s sentencing has been scheduled for May 21.