Pittsburgh man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for promoting and distributing child pornography

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Pensacola, Fla., for promotion and distribution of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents with assistance from the Pensacola Police Department.

Robert J. Kloss, Jr., 37, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Between May 2010 and February 2011, Kloss engaged in a series of internet chats with an undercover agents and detectives. During those chats, Kloss wrote graphically about his desire to engage in sexual acts with minor females and how he had begun to engage in such acts with an actual minor.

A search warrant was eventually executed on his residence outside of Pittsburgh, and a forensic examination of his computer revealed that Kloss was engaged in the same type of online activity with many other victims. This activity included communicating his desire to engage in sexual acts with minors while the parents of the children watched.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg of the Northern District of Florida.

The investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.