Pittsburgh man admits to soliciting child porn

PITTSBURGH — A local man has admitted to law enforcement that he contacted young girls on the internet and asked for sexually explicit images.

He also confessed to threatening to kill the family of one minor who didn’t comply.

According to investigators, 25-year-old Markell Smith, a former resident of the Hill District, used Instagram and the username “7deadlysins19″ to threaten a girl under the age of 12, in New Jersey.

The minor sent Smith photos of her feet, legs and other body parts after Smith threatened to hack her account, find her address and kill her family. Smith later admitted to law enforcement that he used the same tactic to extort sexually explicit images from other young girls on the internet.

The case against Smith was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Sentencing for Smith is scheduled for this summer, where he could face a maximum sentence of 50 years behind bars and a $500,000 fine.

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