Local

Blairsville man gets 20 years for exploiting girl, 7

PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania man will spend 20 years in federal prison for exploiting a 7-year-old girl, by posting child pornography of her online using his neighbor's wireless Internet connection.

Forty-six-year-old Joseph Payson, of Blairsville, was sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.

He had previously pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting the girl by taking photos of her genitals while she slept, and uploading to the Internet videos of her using the toilet.
After police discovered the images were being sent using the neighbor's wireless connection, they searched Payson's home and seized a camera and computer, discovering the images he had made of the girl.