A former Canonsburg, Pennsylvania resident, Justin Darby, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on August 27, 2025. The sentencing follows his convictions for sexual exploitation of minors and destruction of evidence. Darby will also serve 10 years of supervised release and must pay $28,000 in restitution to his victims.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan handed down the sentence. Court records indicate that on October 28, 2021, Darby destroyed records related to an instant messaging application on his phone while agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at his home. He did this with the intent to obstruct an investigation into child sexual exploitation offenses.
Darby was also convicted for attempting to induce a minor to send him sexually explicit images via social media on February 6, 2024. He accepted responsibility for additional offenses involving three other minors during 2023 and early 2024, where he solicited similar content through text messages and social media applications.
Judge Ranjan stated that “the sentence was justified by Darby’s lack of respect for the law and continued pattern of criminal behavior.”
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted the case. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti recognized the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations in leading the investigation.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” said Acting United States Attorney Rivetti. “Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.” More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
