Pa. trooper already facing child pornography charges indicted in federal court
A suspended state trooper already facing charges in Fayette County Common Pleas Court of possessing child pornography has now been indicted in federal court.
The federal indictment against Sean Ryan McKenzie, 37, of Perryopolis, was unsealed on Monday. He has been suspended without pay since March 1 after state police arrested him for allegedly possessing dozes of files containing child pornography in Westmoreland County. Investigators questioned him during his shift after they said they found child pornography on his cellphone and a zip drive he was carrying.
An investigation began last year when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information that more than 200 images had been uploaded that traced to an internet account at McKenzie’s home address, authorities said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, McKenzie attempted to coerce a minor to engage in sexual conduct to make child pornography on June 8.
Then, prosecutors said he knowingly possessed child pornography, including images depicting minors less than 12 years old on March 1.
McKenzie had his initial appearance in federal court on Monday and faces a detention hearing on Thursday.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 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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