PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty to receiving sexually exploitive material of minors from a Russian vendor.
According to the Department of Justice, Michael J. Close, 53, of Beechview pleaded guilty on Thursday.
Police said he bought inappropriate content of minors online on at least four separate occasions from March 16, 2022, to July 6, 2022.
He made a cryptocurrency account and used Bitcoin to pay the vendor, police said. After making the transaction, the vendor would give him a password to open and view the material.
Close could be sentenced to at least five years and up to 20 years in prison. He could also be fined up to $250,000.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 28.
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