Feds: Pa. man sent child porn to undercover FBI agents
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA. » A Bucks County man has been arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography following a federal sting operation.
Patrick Shaknitz, 29, of the Croydon section of Bristol Township, is accused of sharing kiddie porn with various parties over the internet, including undercover federal agents.
“As alleged in the complaint, Shaknitz is a depraved abuser of children who multiplied the impact of that abuse by sharing images of it over the Internet,” U.S. Attorney William McSwain of Philadelphia said Tuesday in a press statement. “These children will have to deal with the impact of this abuse for the rest of their lives. We can never make them fully whole again, but we can bring them some measure of justice by investigating and prosecuting the people responsible for stealing their innocence.”
Shaknitz is accused of sharing videos and images depicting child porn. One such video depicts an adult female in a dark blue face mask molesting a minor child, according to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia.
Beginning in November 2019, undercover federal agents exchanged private messages with a user identified as “intoeverything1991,” who distributed images and videos containing child pornography, according to the feds.
“During chats with the agents, the same user described in explicit detail how he abused other children,” federal authorities said Tuesday in a news release. “Subpoenas issued for ‘intoeverything1991’ revealed an IP address and other identifying information allegedly belonging to Shaknitz.”
Shaknitz, whose date of birth is Aug. 10, 1991, was already in legal hot water with a pre-existing drug case before getting re-arrested on or about his 29th birthday.
Records show the Pennsylvania man has a pending case in Bucks County Common Pleas Court on allegations he had possessed and intended to distribute controlled substances earlier this year. Upper Southampton Police arrested him April 30, and he was later released from custody on $10,000 unsecured bail.
But the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office on Monday filed a motion to revoke Shaknitz’s bail in light of the explosive federal allegations against him, according to court records.
The feds have charged Shaknitz by complaint with one count each of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.
“The distribution of child pornography results in the continued sexual exploitation of innocent children,” Michael J. Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said Tuesday in a press statement. “That’s what pushes the FBI to keep investigating these disturbing but important cases. Protecting kids is paramount, and we’ll never give up that fight.”
Shaknitz would be legally required to serve five to 20 years behind bars if convicted, authorities said, adding he would also be subjected to a lifetime of supervised release and a potential $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Deal.