Ex-Pennsylvania state trooper pleads guilty to child porn charges

An ex-Pennsylvania state trooper has pleaded guilty to multiple child pornography-related charges.

Sean Ryan McKenzie, 38, was accused of attempting to persuade and persuading a minor who he knew to perform sexual acts for use in pornography on at least three separate occasions in 2020 and 2021.

He also possessed digital files “including prepubescent minors who have not attained 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” the Department of Justice said.

As part of his plea, McKenzie also admitted that he knowingly possessed “images of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct” while working as a corporal in the Pennsylvania State Police.

McKenzie joined the force in 2008 but was suspended after the allegations became public in March 2022.

The case against him began last year when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was tipped off to more than 200 images of child porn uploaded to a DropBox account belonging to McKenzie, according to the Pittsburgh Union Progress.

The case against McKenzie was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started in 2006 by the DOJ aimed at combatting child sexual exploitation and abuse

McKenzie is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 31. He remains behind bars and could face life in prison and a fine of up to $1.75 million for the offenses, DOJ said in a statement.