A State College man arrested earlier this year for allegedly possessing images of child sexual abuse is now facing federal charges.
William S. Welsh, 28, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on 11 counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The indictment filed in the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania alleges that on Jan. 15, 2023, Welsh employed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. It also accuses him of possessing between December 2021 and April 2024 images of minors, including some under the age of 12, engaged in sexual conduct.
The case, which was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Sarah R. Lloyd is prosecuting.
Arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Williamsport.
Welsh has been incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility since he was arrested in May by State College police.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed at the time, police began investigating Welsh in March after receiving information that Welsh told a witness he had sexually abused a 2-year-old. He also told the witness he had child pornography that he planned to delete, police wrote.
Investigators executed a search warrant on Welsh’s West College Avenue apartment in April. An analysis of his phone found 41 videos and 32 photos of nude toddler-aged boys being sexually abused by other men, according to the affidavit. The images were kept in a password-protected application, police wrote.
Welsh was charged in Centre County with 73 felony counts each of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.
