Philadelphia man sentenced to 430 months for child sexual exploitation

(WPHL) — A Philadelphia man is behind bars after he participated in “extensive child sexual exploitation and child pornography offenses”.

37-year-old Joshua Lang was sentenced by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage to 430 months in prison and lifetime supervised release, as well as an order to pay $23,545 in restitution and $14,300 in special assessments.

An investigation into Lang began in July 2023 after he had purchased child pornography from a 13-year-old girl on Instagram in December 2022.

Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit and Homeland Security Investigations executed a state search warrant at Lang’s residence in Mayfair, where he shared with a second suspect, Miller.

This is where police uncovered information that Lang and Miller’s child sexual abuse and exploitation activities extended far beyond Lang’s online activities. This included hands-on sexual abuse of children, and their scheme to manufacture, trade, and collect videos and images of one of their victims, his siblings, and his friends.

Lang and Miller were arrested and charged that same day.

On February 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a 16-count indictment against Lang and Miller, charging them with conspiracy to manufacture child pornography and six counts of manufacturing and aiding and abetting the manufacture of child pornography. Lang was also charged with three additional counts of manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography and three additional counts of receipt of child pornography, said Judge Savage.

Miller was sentenced in September of 2024 to 400 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Over the course of three years, Miller and Lang sexually abused a minor between the ages of 12 and 14 years old, recording videos of the acts to forever memorialize the child’s abuse. They also installed hidden cameras in their bathroom and attempted to create sexually explicit images of at least five children, ages nine to 17, who used the bathroom and shower at their residence.

Throughout this period, “Lang and Miller discussed with each other their sexual interest in children, strategized ways to groom minor children for sexual abuse and exploitation, and carried out these tactics to gain the child victims’ trust and further increase their access to these children. The defendants also regularly traded and discussed the images and videos of child sexual abuse material that they created of the children.”

Lang also engaged in and recorded hands-on sexual abuse of an 8-9-year-old minor, sharing the videos with Miller. Lang also kept a collection of more than 13,000 unique files of child sexual abuse material on his iPhone, including the images purchased online from a 13-year-old girl that kicked off PPD SVU’s investigation.

“The crimes Lang committed are stomach-turning,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He sexually abused two children, documented that exploitation, and violated the privacy and trust of other children for his and his partner’s gratification. Together, they strategized ways to sexually groom minors to whom they had access. Our community is emphatically safer with these predators in prison, and today’s sentence ensures Lang will remain behind bars where he can’t harm another innocent child.”

“Today’s sentencing brings a just end to the depravity of two grown men, Joshua Lang and Kenneth Miller, who conspired to sexually exploit and abuse innocent children over an extended period of time. Their actions were not only reprehensible but meticulously planned and executed,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “The collaborative efforts of HSI Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania were crucial in uncovering the full extent of their vile actions and bringing them to justice. We remain steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursuing those who engage in such abhorrent crimes and safeguarding our communities from such predators.”