PITTSBURGH, PA. – A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to court documents, in November 2019, Brian Kosanovich, 58, a firefighter living in Pittsburgh, responded to a profile posted by an FBI undercover employee on Alt.com, which is a website that hosts a network of members interested in alternative forms of sexual relationships, including a variety of fetishes, kinks, BDSM, etc. The undercover officer’s profile indicated that she was a single mother with a 10-year-old daughter. After establishing contact on Alt.com, Kosanovich and the undercover officer began communicating via the Kik messaging application. Kosanovich and the undercover officer engaged in extensive conversations of a sexually explicit nature for several months, much of which focused on Kosanovich having sex with the 10-year-old as well as the mother. At several points, Kosanovich engaged in sexually explicit chats with the undercover officer who at the time was posing as the 10-year-old girl herself. Over the period of the investigation, Kosanovich sent the undercover officer nude “selfies” pictures, and a prepaid Visa card so that the mother could buy sex toys to use with the daughter. Ultimately, on February 18, Kosanovich traveled from Pittsburgh to Richmond for the stated purpose of having sex with the mother and daughter, and was arrested by FBI officials upon his arrival.
Kosanovich faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison when sentenced on March 3, 2021. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Hood is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-103.