A Beaver County man accused of sending unsolicited photos of naked children to about 40 people was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on charges of having and distributing child pornography.
Brent “Twerky” Cotman, 32, of Rochester sent images several times to 17 people between January 2017 and November 2017, federal prosecutors said.
Investigators also found Cotman in possession of pornographic pictures of children on Feb. 1, according to the 18-count indictment. The images were of children aged 12 to 17.
Cotman could face five to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Cotman was arrested in February and charged by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General with similar crimes. In that case, Cotman is accused of sending child pornography to about 40 people and sending threatening and harassing messages through text and Facebook Messenger.
The charges brought by the state will be dismissed in favor of the federal charges, both offices said.
The Beaver County District Attorney’s Office has also filed charges against Cotman of harassment and making terroristic threats. Those charges will remain.
Cotman is in jail on the charges filed by state and local authorities and a probation violation.
The FBI, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General spent more than a year investigating Cotman.
Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Madasyn at 724-226-4702, mczebiniak@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @maddyczebstrib.
