Ex-Allegheny County telecommunications officer indicted on child sexual exploitation charges
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A former Allegheny County telecommunications officer was indicted on child sexual exploitation charges, federal prosecutors announced on Thursday.
United States Attorney Eric Olshan says a federal grand jury indicted 46-year-old Robert Bookshar of Turtle Creek.
Citing the indictment, prosecutors say Bookshar coerced two different children to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of them multiple times between August 2022 and May 2023.
The indictment also says Bookshar received explicit photos and videos of minors on multiple occasions between September 2021 and February 2023.
Bookshar was arrested by Allegheny County police in June of last year after investigators said a search warrant at his home on Boyd Street in Turtle Creek turned up several electronic devices that had images and videos of child pornography.
County police said their investigation into Bookshar, who was at the time a telecommunications officer with Allegheny County Emergency Services, began after getting a tip from police in Tampa, Florida, in connection with a child pornography case. The county said Bookshar had worked for emergency services since 2014 and was put on unpaid leave after his arrest.
On the federal charges, prosecutors say Bookshar could face 15 to 440 years in prison, a fine of $5 million or both. He's detained pending trial.
Bookshar's case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to fight what authorities call a growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
