HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against a Somerset County man who had dozens of child sexual abuse material files, including artificially-generated videos and photos.
Jeffrey L. Engel, 72, is charged with numerous felonies, including 22 counts of artificially-generated child sexual abuse material. Engel was recently arraigned and bail was set at $100,000 cash.
This is at least the fourth time the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section has filed the second-degree felony charge for artificially-generated material, a statute that went into effect — Act 125 — in December 2024.
“The state Legislature has given us another tool to combat offenders who possess these vile videos and images, and we fully intend to keep using it,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Each time one of these files is viewed or shared it is another act of abuse and exploitation against children.”
Office of Attorney General agents received a tip that led to Engel, and last week executed a search warrant at his Rockwood home. Agents seized a laptop computer and tower computer containing child sexual abuse material.
The case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Angela Raver of the Child Predator Section. Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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