Accused Delco Child Pornographer Facing More Charges

A Delaware County man who was previously convicted of possessing child pornography is facing more child porn-related charges, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.

District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland announced James Traband, 51, of Upland Borough, has been charged with disseminating and possessing child pornography, including images that depicted naked male children between the ages of 3 and 13-years-old being sexually assaulted and abused.

Traband is facing 25 counts of dissemination of child pornography, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies of the third degree, the DA's office said.

The investigation was led by Detective Sergeant Kenneth Bellis of the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and PA Internet Crime Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Delaware County Adult Probation and Parole.

On Oct. 13, 2015, Traband pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, the DA's office said.

Traband then became a registered sex offender and was ordered to comply with the special rules and regulations of Adult Probation and Parole governing sex offenders, among which is the prohibition of pornographic material of any kind, according to the DA's office.

On July 9 this year when Traband was on probation in Delaware County, Adult Probation and Parole Officers did a home compliance check at Traband's home.

Agents knocked at both the front and rear doors. While agents were knocking, Agent Carissa Tillotson looked through the rear door and observed Traband enter a bathroom behind the kitchen, the DA's office said.

About ten seconds later, Traband exited the bathroom and opened the door to let the agents inside, according to the DA's office.

Agents Justin Lewis and Frank Shannon searched the bathroom and inside a container of dry dog food, Lewis found a cellphone with a piece of tape covering the camera, the DA's office said.

Lewis looked at the cellphone and found a Facebook application that opened to a page with multiple pictures of shirtless adolescent males, according to the DA's office. Traband admitted to Lewis that the phone contained child pornography and he was taken into custody, the DA's office said.

A forensic examination of the cellphone conducted by CID Detective Chris Tankelewicz identified numerous images of child pornography, with the majority of the images depicting naked male children between 3 and 13-years-old exposed in a sexual manner, according to the DA's office.

Some of the images depict the minor boys being sexually assaulted, the DA's office said. Further forensic exam of the cellphone confirmed that Traband, under an alias, portrayed himself to be a 14-year-old male and shared more than twenty-five images of child pornography with three different Facebook users, the DA's office said.

"Those who possess child pornography contribute to the appalling and repulsive exploitation of innocent children," Copeland said. "In partnership with our local police, CID detectives and forensic analysts, our ICAC Task Force actively works on a daily basis to locate and arrest these individuals to ensure the safety of our children. I commend CID Sergeant Kenneth Bellis and our ICAC Task Force, as well as Delaware County Adult Probation and Parole Agents Tillotson, Shannon and Lewis and Supervisor Jeff Roney for their immediate and swift response, and continued work to help us apprehend these perpetrators."

Traband was remanded to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility after failing to post 10 percent of $250,000 bail at his Aug. 22 preliminary arraignment.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6.