Salem man sentenced in pornography blackmail case
A Salem man was ordered Thursday to serve at least nine months in jail for a series of sex crimes in which authorities said he blackmailed teenage girls to send him sexually explicit pictures.
Dylan James Krupitzer, 20, pleaded guilty in September to more than two dozen charges in two cases in which police said he demanded money from a 16-year-old Hempfield girl and threatened to make public naked pictures she had sent him in exchange for more graphic sexual images.
Police said Krupitzer had additional images of a 12-year-old girl on his telephone and threatened to send them to other friends unless she gave him money.
“This is sexual exploitation of young girls,” said Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar. “He’s trying to destroy these young girls’ lives. It’s more than a lack of respect.”
He said Krupitzer not only demanded money but sent the teens images of a ticking clock as a threat to ensure they complied.
Krupitzer originally pleaded guilty to 25 counts, including multiple offenses of possession of child pornography and use of a computer to disseminate child pornography. Prosecutors on Thursday dismissed 13 child pornography counts.
Police said Krupitzer was a former student at Greensburg Salem High School, where one of the girls was enrolled at the time of the crime in 2019.
Krupitzer’s mother, Tracy Krupitzer, pleaded with the judge to spare her son from a jail sentence and called his behavior “disgusting” but claimed it was a result of toxic relationships with women. She said her son’s attitude changed after he was arrested and broke off a relationship with his girlfriend.
Lazar countered that Krupitzer’s criminal past dated back to the seventh grade and involved a case based on similar allegations.
Krupitzer apologized in a brief statement.
“I hung out with the wrong people,” he said.
Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a defense request to sentence Krupitzer to house arrest.
“This is not a case where home electronic monitoring is appropriate,” Mears said.
He ordered Krupitzer to serve nine months to two years, less one day, in jail and an additional three years on probation.
As part of the sentence, Krupitzer will be required to register as a convicted sex offender for 25 years.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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