CENTRAL COUNTY, Pennsylvania — A federal grand jury has indicted a State College man on child pornography charges, authorities report.

William S. Welsh, 28, is accused of causing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce child pornography in January 2023, according to the indictment.

The charges report that Welsh also possessed images of child pornography for years, between December 2021 and April 2024.

He was charged with production and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Welsh faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release and a fine, authorities say.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations launched the investigation into Welsh as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in response to the “growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” according to a statement from press.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.