SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Mt. Pocono man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District to receiving and distributing child pornography.

Gary Delena, 63, admitted that he used his computer to download and share images of child pornography in October and November 2008.   The plea agreement in the case calls for a sentence between 60 months and 108 months in prison, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Judge Caputo scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2012. Delena remains detained in prison pending sentencing.

Delena was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2010, following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.