A Monessen man was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in a federal prison for having child pornography.
Robert Haggerty, 63, was ordered to spend five years on supervised release after the prison term, according to federal prosecutors.
Investigators said Haggerty had 92 images and eight videos of child pornography. He pleaded guilty in September to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. He was ordered to forfeit two Samsung tablets and pay $3,500 in restitution.
The investigation started after a person later identified as Haggerty sent sexually explicit messages to who he believed were two young girls in August 2021 and asked for pictures of them, according to court filings. The girls were actually undercover police officers.
Investigators searched his home and tractor trailer and found images and videos of child pornography and a chain of sexually explicit messages with a person who claimed to be a teenage girl. The collection was “extensive and graphic,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
“The defendant is a prolific online predator who seeks out minors to engage in sexually explicit communications, in which he openly discusses sexually assaulting them and asks them to send him child sexual exploitation material,” they said in the filing.
Assistant federal public defender Gabrielle Lee requested in a sentencing memorandum a short prison term so Haggerty could return to work as a truck driver in an effort to pay off restitution and support his family. Three family members submitted letters to the court in support of Haggerty.
